Mademoiselle Fifi is an opera in one act, written by the Russian composer Caesar Cui in 1902-1903 according to his own libretto , which is an adaptation of the story of the same name by Guy de Maupassant (1882) and the play of the same name written by Oscar Metenier (1896).
| Opera | |
| Mademoiselle Fifi | |
|---|---|
| Composer | Caesar Cui |
| Librettist | Caesar Cui |
| Plot source | Guy de Maupassant's self-titled story |
| Action | I |
| First production | 1903 |
The premiere of the opera took place on November 4, 1903 (old style) at the Hermitage Theater by artists of the Moscow Private Russian Opera . Opera at that time was also known as the “ Woman from Rouen” . The work was widely known throughout the Russian Empire and was especially popular during the First World War , mainly because of the anti-German context. Despite the success and adaptation composed during the Second World War , Mademoiselle Fifi was subsequently excluded from the standard opera repertoire of Russia and was not performed in Western countries.
Cui's music borrows some French and German tunes, including the chorus from Guardians on the Rhine , performed by German soldiers.
Content
Characters
- Major Falsberg, bass
- Captain Calveigstein, baritone
- Lieutenant Otto Grosssling, bass
- Lieutenant Franz Scheinauburg, tenor
- Lieutenant von Erich (Mademoiselle Fifi), tenor
- Pflicht, batman, baritone
- Abbot Chantavuan, baritone
- Sexton, tenor
- Rachel, soprano
- Eve, soprano
- Blonde mezzo soprano
- Amanda, mezzo soprano
- Pamela, mezzo soprano
- Soldiers, servants
Location: Chateau d'Ville, near Rouen .
Story
One rainy day during the Franco-Prussian War, German soldiers who occupied the suburbs of the French city, sent for the "ladies" in the city. Women come, everyone couples and sits down for lunch. Von Erich (Fifi) mocks Rachel, his chosen companion. As an entertainment, everyone sings light German and French songs. Then Rachel begins to sing a patriotic song, provoking Fifi. He boasts that Germany will conquer not only France, but also its women. Rachel stabs him with a knife. Fifi dies and church bells ring in his heart, notifying the French of the death of the enemy.
Literature
- Bernardt, G. b. Dictionary of operas first staged or published in pre-revolutionary Russia and the USSR , 1736-1959. Moscow: Soviet composer, 1962, S. 170-171.
- Cui, Caesar. Mademoiselle Fifi: opera in one act. Pour chant et piano Moscou: Jurgenson, 1903.
- Nazarov, A.F. Caesar Antonovich Cui . Moscow: Music, 1989.
Links
- Sheet music at the International Music Score Library Project