Offenbach's masterpiece: The satire of the Grand Duchess is enthusiastic!

Offenbach's masterpiece: The satire of the Grand Duchess is enthusiastic!

The operetta The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein , a work by the composer Jacques Offenbach, has its place in the historiography of music and satire. With this operetta, Offenbach criticized the rulers, the military and the nobility at a time that was characterized by military tensions. The versatile music and the humorous texts make the work a timeless classic, which is still enthusiastic after over a century. The work had its premiere on April 12, 1867 in Théâtre des Variétés in Paris. The original playing time is about two and a half hours.

Today, on March 9, 2025, the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège illuminates the facets of this operetta with its production from 2013. Under the direction of conductor Cyril Englebert, soloists such as Patricia Fernandez, Sébastien Droy and Lionel Lhote present their performances. The musical accompaniment and the choir contribute to the atmosphere in the fictional Grand Duchy of Gerolstein.

content and characters of the operetta

The action plays in the fictional Grand Duchy of Gerolstein around 1840. It is full of humorous and tragicomic elements. The main character, the Grand Duchess, tries to make political decisions itself out of boredom, which leads to amusing conflicts.

• Grandherzogin (soprano)
• Prince Paul (tenor)
• fritz (tenorbuffo)
• Wanda (soubrette)
• General Bumm (bass)
• baron puck (baritone)
• Baron Grog (speech role)
• nepomuck (speech role)

The story develops while the Grand Duchy wages a war against a neighboring state. Fritz, a soldier, and Wanda, his fiancee, surrounding a ban when they sing and dance during the guard service. At the same time, the General Bumm tries to announce his military successes, but this is not without complications.

musical style elements and meaning

Musically, the operetta is characterized by a hymnic “Degen song” that runs through the entire plot as a leitmotif. Offenbach knew how to create musical motifs that are both humorous and satirical, which dealt with censorship and made the work popular. The fascinating melodies and the funny dialogues have been able to captivate the audience from the start.

The work was revised in the years after its premiere to counteract the initial misunderstandings. Offenbach stroked the second finale and changed the original scenes, which ultimately contributed to his great success, especially during the Paris World Exhibition. This developed a new wave of enthusiasm for the Opéra Bouffe.

Jacques Offenbach, born on June 20, 1819 in Cologne and died on October 5, 1880 in Paris, is considered the founder of the modern operetta and significantly shaped the theater landscape of his time. Many of his works, such as Orphée aux Enfers and the well -known melodies from Hoffmann's stories , still appeal to a wide audience. His impressive career and his ability to practice social criticism by means of music confirm his status as one of the great composers of the 19th century. Numerous surcharges, such as the Jacques-Offenbach-Gesellschaft , are committed to memory of him and his works.