Bettelstudent, Der

Originally rejected by Johann Strauss II, the libretto for Der Bettelstudent (The Beggar-Student) was then offered to Carl Millöcker. The operetta premiered in December 1882 and became an enduringly popular international triumph, making the composer wealthy, and allowing him to retire from conducting. SYNOPSIS: Krakow, Poland, 1904. Colonel Ollendorf seeks revenge against Laura Nowalska, who rebuffed him with her fan, offended by his advances. Laura’s mother declares that only a Pole and nobleman can be her son-in-law. He releases a seemingly penniless student, Symon, and his friend, Janicki, to pose as a millionnaire and his aide, to entice the bankrupt but venerable Nowalska family. Laura agrees to marry Symon, and Janicki falls in love with Laura’s sister. However, the money that the colonel supplied to Symon runs out, and he is no longer able to keep up the appearance of nobility. He and Laura have developed genuine feelings for each other and he struggles with the decision to tell her the truth. He writes a letter confessing the ruse. The colonel senses that the letter will end the plot, and convinces Laura’s mother not to open it. When the wedding ceremony is over, the colonel reveals the truth about Symon, who is subsequently driven from the palace. Symon is contemplating suicide when Janicki reveals that he is a Polish officer and is part of a group of patriots who are planning to capture the citadel and to reinstate King Stanislaus. The Governor-General discovers that Janicki knows the whereabouts of the Polish grand duke and bribes him with 200,000 thalers to reveal his location to the Austrians. Janicki asks Symon to impersonate the grand duke until the money for his capture can be paid. The plot succeeds. In return, he is knighted by King Stanislaus and accepted by his wife and mother-in-law.

Instrumentation
2(2 dbl picc).2.2.2. / 4.2.3.0. / timp / perc / str (original orchestration with cuts - 1935)

Format
V/S C/P Lib

Publisher
Cranz / JW