Flotow, Friedrich von
Die Witwe Grapin (1859)
Operetta in one act
Libretto by Philippe Auguste Pittaud de Forges; German version by Ferdinand Marckwort (F,G)
Scoring
S,T,B;
2(II=picc).2.2.2-2.2.1.0-timp.perc-strings.
Abbreviations (PDF).
Territory
This work is available from Boosey & Hawkes for the world.
World Premiere
9/21/1859
Bouffes-Parisiens, Paris
Company: Unknown
Roles
| MARQUIS BRESSIEUX | Tenor |
| LISE | Soprano |
| VINCENT, the marquis's servant | Bass |
Time and Place
In an old castle in the year 1770
Synopsis The young Marquis Bressieux, the last of his lineage and completely ruined, wants to flee to his lover in Havana, but she calls their relationship off in a letter. When his servant Vincent prevents him from shooting himself at the last moment, they both decide to seek an honourable death. Unexpectedly, Lise Grapin appears, a beautiful, rich young widow, who was a maid with the old Marquis Bressieux in the castle when she was young. When she is informed of the decline of the noble house she buys the whole estate at an auction. Vincent, who senses the possibility of a happy ending, makes the advantages of marrying the marquis palatable to her. As Lise believes it all to be about the old marquis, she quickly secures the title and separate marital beds for herself in a marital contract. When she realizes her error, she insists on the revision of the contract …
Moods
Comic
Subjects
Relationships
