Late in 1881 Strauss began discussing a new operetta with F. Zell (pen name of Kamillo Walzel, 1829-1899) and Richard Genée (1823-1895). The librettists suggested two subjects: Der Bettelstudent (The Beggar-Student) and Venezianische Nächte (Venetian Nights), of which Strauss chose the latter, later changing the name to Eine Nacht in Venedig (A Night in Venice). Strauss may have been attracted to the subject for several reasons, not the least of which is that his father, 35 years earlier, had produced a successful gala entitled "Eine Nacht in Venedig." Also, Venice was a popular theme among the Viennese who, by 1895, would construct a replica of the ancient seaside city in the middle of Vienna's largest public park.

Loosely basing their concept on a French comic opera, Château Trompette, Walzel and Genée (also the librettist of Die Fledermaus) together developed the characters and scenario, while Walzel created the dialogue and Genée the song texts. Thus, Genée influenced the musical construction of the operetta, as he had with Die Fledermaus. Strauss probably began composing the operetta by late March 1882, by which time Walzel and Genée had completed the first two acts. Although Strauss preferred to introduce new works at Vienna's Theater an der Wien, private matters forced a change of plans. Strauss's second wife, Angelika Dittrich, began an affair with Franz Steiner, the director of the Theater an der Wien, inciting Strauss to sue for divorce and seek another venue for the premiere of his latest operetta.

Eine Nacht in Venedig received its première at the new Friedrich-Wilhelmstädtisches Theater in Berlin on October 3, 1883. While both public and critics cheered Strauss's music, few people were pleased with the libretto, described by one reviewer as "a hodgepodge of foolishness and tediousness." Strauss eliminated some of the offending numbers and altered the texts of others before the first performance in Vienna six days later, at the Theater an der Wien. By the end of the year, productions had been planned in New York and 16 European cities. However, the weakness of the libretto has prevented the work's lasting success.

Despite the libretto, Eine Nacht in Venedig has many brilliant moments. For example, early in Act One, the chorus introduces Caramello's multi-sectional "Willkommen, liebe Freunde" with "Evviva Caramello." The aria is interspersed with outbursts from the chorus as Caramello explains, "quietly," how much the Duke loves women. When he demonstrates a Tarantella, the meter changes from 2/4 to 6/8.

Strauss flexes his waltz muscles with the compelling "Alle maskiert," sung by Annina, Ciboletta, Caramello and Pappacoda in anticipation of the upcoming Carnival celebrations. The single waltz tune is contrasted against a rapid, recitative-like section that appears twice.

For Caramello's "Komm in die Gondel, mein Liebchen," Strauss provides one of his most lilting melodies. The sensuous tune adds to the irony of the situation, in which Caramello, crooning in a seductively slow 6/8, does not know he is indeed singing to his "Liebchen."

As Caramello watches the Duke disappear with Annina in Act Three he sings the waltz, "Ach wie so herrlich zu schaun," published separately as the Lagunen-Walzer, Op. 411. One of the most effective numbers of the operetta, it consists of a pair of waltzes, in F and B flat, the first of which returns to close the piece. The slow tempo and occasional chromatic inflections contribute to the ethereal atmosphere, marked "dreamlike" by Strauss.

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Act 1 - 1.Overture

Eine Nacht in Venedig was initially a failure at its Berlin premiere in 1883. Undaunted by the disappointment, Strauss immediately began revisions on the work, making both cuts and additions, but also recomposing several sections. Strauss left this overture intact, however, convinced of its artistic worth and general effectiveness. At the Vienna premiere of the revised version of the operetta, Strauss scored a success and the work has remained one of his more popular stage efforts down through the years, nearly rivaling his best-known Die Fledermaus (1874). The Eine Nacht in Venedig Overture, like many operatic overtures, almost serves as a medley of the work's more popular tunes. It also contains much of the carnival atmosphere in which the story takes place. It opens with a regal, march-like theme that almost sounds as if it could have been written by Elgar a decade or two later. A waltz tune soon appears that bears more than a vague resemblance to the latter half of the Blue Danube Waltz. On the whole, this approximately eight-minute overture features masterful orchestration and a deft sense for atmosphere: its grand statement of the march-like melody near the end fully captures the sense of festivity and carnival colors of Venice.

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