Gräfin Dubarry

Gräfin Dubarry is an operetta in three acts by Carl Millöcker to a German libretto by F. Zell and Richard Genée. The story concerns Madame du Barry, the mistress of Louis XV, King of France.

Operas by Carl Millöcker

Performance history

The operetta had its premiere on 31 October 1879 at the Theater an der Wien, Vienna.

Die Dubarry

A radically new version of the work, in nine scenes under the title Die Dubarry, was prepared by Theo Mackeben with music from the original Gräfin Dubarry as well as other works, and a new text was written by Paul Knepler, Ignaz Michael Welleminsky and Hans Martin Cremer. This was first given at the Admiralspalast in Berlin on 14 August 1931. According to Andrew Lamb, the production introduced "alien structures and orchestration" compared with the original.[1] This was filmed as The Loves of Madame Dubarry in 1935, and as The Dubarry toured the UK in 1932 starring Binnie Hale and opened at Her Majesty's Theatre on 14 April 1932 with Anny Ahlers, Helen Haye and Mimi Crawford.[2][3][4] An EP was released by Anny Ahlers with the songs "I Give My Heart", "The Dubarry", "Beauty", "Happy Little Jeanne" and "Today".[5] An adaptation arranged by Theo Mackeben with additional numbers by Alan Melville and Charles Zwar opened at the Princes Theatre in London on 8 October 1947, starring Irene Manning as Jeanne heading a cast which also featured Ada Reeve as Mme Sauterelle and John Le Mesurier as Comte Lamond. This production ran for just 45 performances.[4]

Roles
Roles, voice types
Role Voice type Premiere cast, 31 October 1879
Conductor: Carl Millöcker[6]		 Die Dubarry cast, 14 August 1931
Conductor: Theo Mackeben[7]
Marie Jeanne Bécu, a milliner, later Comtesse Dubarry soprano Gitta Alpár
René Lavallery, a painter tenor Egon Brosig
Margot, a milliner soprano Edith Schollwer
Marquis de Brissac, her friend tenor
Comte Dubarry baritone Schnell
King Louis XV baritone
Duc de Choiseul, Chief Minister spoken
Prince Soubise spoken
Duc de Lazun spoken
Radix de St. Foix spoken
Baron Chamard spoken
Lebell spoken
Marschallin von Luxembourg spoken
Lucille spoken
Pierre spoken
Madame Labille spoken
Marianne Verrières spoken
Claude Verrières spoken
Abbé spoken
Neighbour spoken
Attendants, companions, servants, milliners, people of Paris (chorus)

Synopsis

The story is set in Paris and Versailles in 1764.

Film versions

After the 1935 British film The Loves of Madame Dubarry, a German film version The Dubarry was made in Germany in 1951 by Georg Wildhagen, with Sári Barabás, Mathieu Ahlersmeyer, Willy Fritsch, Albert Lieven and Walter Müller.[8][9]

References
  1. Lamb, Andrew (1992), "Millöcker, Carl" in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7
  2. "Binnie Hale Scrapbook Volume IV". archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk.
  3. "Anny Ahlers Fellow Cast Members on Stage Editorial Stock Photo - Stock Image". Shutterstock Editorial.
  4. Wearing, J. P. (1990). The London Stage, 1930–1939 : A Calendar of Plays and Players. Metuchen, New Jersey: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-2349-7. OCLC 22112586.
  5. "Anny Ahlers – "I Give My Heart"". 45cat.com.
  6. Casaglia, Gherardo (2005)."Gräfin Dubarry, 31 October 1879". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
  7. Casaglia, Gherardo (2005)."Die Dubarry, 14 August 1931". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
  8. Loves of Mme. Du Barry at AllMovie
  9. Die Dubarry at the British Film Institute's Film and TV Database
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