Premiere in Thailand
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performed by the Metropolitan Opera of Bangkok
under the patronage of the Austrian Embassy, Bangkok
Laughing is one of the best natural medicines of all time. The Austrians have always known how to use it. They are still very good at it today. What could be a better pastime for us then if not to attend at least one of the six performances of Die Fledermaus of Johann Strauss, II that is being premiered by The Metropolitan Opera of Bangkok in the last week of June at the Thailand Cultural Centre, Bangkok .
The all-Thai cast of talented opera singers have meticulously prepared their production under the guidance of Artistic Adviser and Stage Director, Prof. Dr Charles Henn and will be performing the entire opera under the baton of Austrian conductor Cristof Kiene. You are guaranteed to witness more than a fair amount of bottom-pinching, flirtatious advances, mischievous connivances, dancing, and acrobatics, and of course, enjoyable music and singing. All is done with thought and good taste, perfect for a family audience.
The operetta opens in the living room of the von Eisenstein home and one can hear, floating in the air, the serenade of Alfred, a tenor still in love with his old flame Rosalinde, now the wife of Gabriel von Eisenstein. Adele, a chambermaid, saunters in reading an invitation to a grand ball, schemes to attend, asks for the evening off to visit a "sick aunt," a plea her mistress refuses. Alfred steps into the room and flirts with Rosalinde, who resists his verbal advances but melts on hearing his high A.
The suitor leaves as Eisenstein and his lawyer, Blind, arrive from a session in court: Eisenstein has been sentenced to a fortnight in jail for a civil offense. No sooner does he dismiss the incompetent lawyer than his friend Falke comes to invite Eisenstein to a grand ball, suggesting he enjoy a tremendous fling before his confinement in jail. Sending Adele to her "aunt," Rosalinde receives the ardent Alfred. Their t?te-?-t?te is interrupted by the warden Frank, who mistakes Alfred for the man he has come to arrest. Rosalinde persuades Alfred to save her name by posing as her husband, and Frank takes him away to jail.
At the palace of Prince Orlofsky where the nobleman's guests, Adele and her cousin Ida among them, await the arrival of their host. Prince Orlofsky enters, quite bored — even with Falke's promise of a comedy of errors. The prince proclaims his guests free to do anything that suits their fancy — "Chacun ? son gout." Adele, dressed in one of Rosalinde's most elegant gowns, is soon wooed by many and laughs off Eisenstein's suggestion that she resembles his wife's chambermaid.
Frank enters, and Rosalinde, also invited by Falke, arrives disguised as a temperamental Hungarian countess who then proceeds to steal the pocket watch from her own husband as proof of his philandering. Champagne flows, and the guests dance wildly until dawn. When the clock strikes six, Eisenstein staggers off to keep his appointment at the jail.
Moments later at the prison, Frosch, a drunken jailer, tries to keep order among the inmates, who are unable to sleep because of Alfred's singing. Frank arrives, still giddy with champagne, followed shortly by Ida and Adele, who, thinking him a theatrical agent, believes he might further her stage aspirations. Frank, hearing someone at the door, hides the girls in a cell and then admits Eisenstein, who has come to begin his sentence. The new prisoner is surprised to learn his cell is already occupied by a man who claims to be Eisenstein and who was found dining with Rosalinde.
Enraged and vowing to get more information, he disguises himself as Dr. Blind, the bungling lawyer. Rosalinde hurries in to secure Alfred's release and presses divorce charges against her naughty husband. With her old flame, she confides her flirtation to the "lawyer." Enraged, Eisenstein removes his disguise and accuses his wife of infidelity, at which Rosalinde brings forth the watch she took from him at the ball. Prince Orlofsky and his guests arrive to celebrate the reconciliation of Rosalinde and Eisenstein, singing a final toast as Eisenstein is taken away.
Portraying the principal female lead, Rosalinde, is Siriwaranya Supranee who appeared in The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart last year as Marcellina. Thailand 's charming tenor, Sirichai Charoenkijthanakul, will cover the role of Gabriel von Eisenstein. Sirichai has appeared as Max in Weber's Der Freischutz and Basilio in The Marriage of Figaro. Upcoming light tenor, Chadakorn Damrongtrongsiri, who was Don Curzio in The Marriage of Figaro, will interpret the role of Alfredo, the singing teacher. Piyanat Panthana, who marvelously assumed the challenging role of Figaro last year takes on the conniving character of Dr. Falke in this year's production for a change. Baritone Ittinat Seeboonruang has been cast for two roles, as Dr. Blind, the bungling young laywer, and as Colonel Frank, the prison director. As for mezzo-soprano Matthasutha Tantasanee, she will be making her opera debut in the role of Prince Orlofsky.
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