The Vienna State Opera has offered an annual New Year's Eve production of Die Fledermaus since the early 1930s, both reflecting and reinforcing the work's status as the representation of all things Viennese. It is curious then, that the piece considered the epitome of Viennese operetta is not at all representative of contemporaneous works in the genre.

Vienna in the middle nineteenth century was one of the premier cities of Europe. The capital of a vast empire, it boasted a vibrant cultural life and had long been recognized as a major musical and theatrical center. The Austrian economy was strong, and Viennese bourgeoisie spent their evenings eating, drinking, and attending the theater. However, on May 9, 1873, the Austro-Hungarian Empire suffered a debilitating stock market crash. Fortunes disappeared overnight, and businesses of all kinds suffered, including theaters. The Viennese, temporarily at least, were condemned to an austere lifestyle. It was in this atmosphere that Strauss' Die Fledermaus took shape.

Die Fledermaus is based on a French vaudeville, Le Réveillon (1872), by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, itself based on Richard Benedix's Das Gefängnis of 1851. Karl Haffner created a German rendition of Le Réveillon and sold this to Maximillian Steiner, the director of the Theater an der Wien. Steiner gave Haffner's manuscript to Richard Genée, suggesting he develop from it a libretto. Strauss and Genée began working together, and on October 25, 1873, Strauss directed a benefit concert that included his csárdás für Gesang, with a text by Genée. The number was well received, and would become Rosalinde's csárdás in Act Two of Die Fledermaus. Spurred on by this success, Strauss reportedly completed the music for the rest of the operetta in 42 days. The premiere took place in the Theater an der Wien on April 5, 1874 (Easter Sunday).

Die Fledermaus departed in several ways from previous Viennese works. Conceived in three acts, Die Fledermaus requires only three stage settings, and it does not open with the customary large number for chorus. At the premiere, the characters sported contemporary public attire instead of lavish costumes, while the sets consisted of the simple interiors of people's homes and a barren jail. Furthermore, the story is set in the present and in Vienna.

While the current economic state of the empire was reflected in the production itself—there were few scene changes and a minimal group of choral numbers—the world as it "used to be" drives the story, with masked balls and freely flowing champagne. Any disappointment caused by the scaled-down production was outweighed for audiences by the chance to participate vicariously in the revelry acted out on stage. Certainly, the major element that made Die Fledermaus a resounding success was, and is, Strauss' music, which is more sophisticated than that of any operetta previously offered the Viennese.

Strauss' ability to characterize through music is at its finest in Die Fledermaus. In Act Two, Rosalinde poses as a Hungarian princess, and when asked to prove her origins, sings a Hungarian csárdás. Strauss evokes an aural image of Hungarian gypsies through the clarinet line that opens the number, the slow, rubato style of the first half, and pizzicato strings. Adele, also in Act Two, "confirms" her upper-class status with an exquisite song, during which she enumerates her fine physical qualities. Strauss produces unity through an ingenious use of melody. For instance, the melody sung by the chorus as the curtain rises on Orlofsky's party in Act Two appears earlier when Adele reads the letter inviting her to Orlofsky's party and moments later when Falke convinces Eisenstein to attend the same event.

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Act 1 - 1.Ouvertüre

There's nothing like a good trailer to tell you what's coming up. The overture to Die Fledermaus tempts the listener with sweet melody, bouncy rhythms, and thrilling scoring that hints at the mistaken identity, gala ball, and humorous plot twists that are to come.

In 1873, Viennese theater owners were looking for an alternative to imported Offenbach, and perhaps were also trying to distract the public from the city's economic depression. The director of the Theater an der Wien purchased the rights to the Parisian vaudeville Le Réveillon by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. He eventually gave the work to the theater's conductor, Richard Genée and ohann Strauss, Jr. to write the operetta. Die Fledermaus, as it came to be known, is about a woman, her lover, her husband, and her maid, a grand ball, and the wrong man being thrown in jail.

The overture starts with a three-note motif, heard in the Act III trio of Rosalinde, Eisenstein (her husband), and Alfred (her lover, who, mistaken for Eisenstein, has been put in jail). The motif} is used throughout the overture, insistently telling the audience "Yes, it's me!" as Eisenstein and the others, near the end of the operetta, try to figure out what has happened. Following the overture's opening section, there is an Allegretto, the accompaniment of the Act III trio con moto. It's a light, questioning tune in simple meter, which is answered when the overture next moves into the accompaniment to the theme from the Act III finale, where all is explained. A bridge sounded by horns and flutes leads into rushing violins and the sweeping waltz that is the finale of Act II. The party guests dance to the melody that is equal to Strauss' Blue Danube. This is abruptly followed by the announcement of the next section, a flowing, minor tune that exaggerates Rosalinde's disappointment in Act I at not being able to attend the ball. What follows is the bouncy polka that represents the excitement that Adele's (Rosalinde's maid) and Eisenstein's invitations to the ball bring to them. Brief reprises of the themes from the finales of Acts III and II are heard just before the overture makes its way, with another reference to the polka, to its grand and exciting end.

At the premiere of the operetta, conducted by Strauss, the overture was interrupted several times by applause. One Viennese critic called it the "pièce de resistance" of the operetta. It's a sumptuous glimpse of the memorable melodies that await the Die Fledermaus' audience.

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Act 2 - 12.Klänge der Heimat

Die Fledermaus is Johann Strauss II's most popular operetta and indeed, his most popular large work. "Klänge der Heimat" (Sounds of my Homeland) is an aria from that effort that appears in Act II and is sung by Rosalinda to convince guests at a party that she is the Hungarian Countess she pretends to be. A csárdás, of course, is a Hungarian dance generally consisting of a slow introduction and followed by a fast section. That is the form of this aria, though the fast music does not come until about two-thirds through. On the whole, this aria is a lively, light creation that exhibits a good measure of Hungarian elements, but incorporated within that inimitable Straussian style. The text of the aria was written by Carl Haffner and Richard Genée and portrays Rosalinda's supposed strong feelings for her homeland, with its beautiful forests and fields, lively dances, and celebrations. It opens with a wistful theme of Hungarian character, then turns somewhat brighter, even playful. Still, the overall melancholy manner remains until the arrival of the fast music, in the so-called friska section. Here, the music takes on a rollicking manner and the Hungarian colors are more intense in the rhythmic, driving music that Strauss so imaginatively provides. This colorful aria has a duration of about four-and-a-half minutes.

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