SATURDAY MATINEE
Operetta in the afternoon
Prepared by Elaine Siversen
With Jules Laurent

Strauss, J. II The goddess of reason. Operetta in three acts. Libretto by Alfred Willner and Bernhard Buchbinder. First performed Vienna, 1897.   

Strauss, J. II The goddess of reason, Act I.   
[41:53]

Strauss, J. II The goddess of reason, Act II.   
[29:57]

Strauss, J. II The goddess of reason, Entr’acte & Act III.   
[13:01]

   JACQUELIN: Wolfgang Veith, ten
ERNESTINE: Isabella Ma-Zach, sop
COLONEL FURIEUX: Manfred Equiluz, ten
BONHOMME: Franz Födinger, ten
COUNTESS MATHILDE: Veronika Groiss, sop
CAPTAIN ROBERT: Kirlianit Cortes, ten
Frantişek Figura, vn; Slovak Sinfonietta, Zilina/Christian Pollack.
Naxos 8.660280-81

   Jacquelin, an artist, is on the run because of his political caricatures during Robespierre’s ‘reign of terror’. He and his lover, Ernestine, are planning to escape from France and need passports from Colonel Furieux. Furieux refuses to issue them when Ernestine is delayed by an engagement in the theatre as the goddess of reason. He threatens to execute Jacquelin if she does not come. Ernestine’s carriage is surrounded by a drunken mob. They seize Bonhomme and mock marry him to the goddess of reason. The Countess Mathilde is trying to escape but has no passport. Bonhomme declares that she is the expected prima donna, Ernestine. Jacquelin, hoping to save himself, introduces her to Colonel Furieux as Ernestine. Furieux invites the Countess to dinner with the officers where she is to choose her cavalier. All except Captain Robert line up to be chosen, but it is he whom she chooses. Later Furieux makes advances to her but Robert comes to her aid.
Furieux sees his caricature in Jacquelin’s sketchbook. Afraid for his life, Jacquelin admits that the Countess is not Ernestine. Furieux orders the Countess to be arrested as an aristocrat. Robert stands by her but is revealed as a marquis. Bonhomme, as a delegate to the Convention, declares that he is arresting them and taking them away for the severest punishment and threatens to arrest Furieux. Ernestine, as the goddess of reason, sways the crowd’s opinion in favour of Bonhomme’s action. Ernestine gives the passports which Jacquelin had obtained for her and himself to the Countess and Robert who escape and later marry, as do Jacquelin and Ernestine.

Offenbach, J. Excerpts from La vie parisienne (1866).    June Bronhill, sop; Suzanne Steele, sop; Cynthia Morey, sop; Anna Pollak, mezz; Kevin Miller, ten; Jon Weaving, ten; John Fryatt, ten; John Kentish, ten; Eric Shilling, bass-bar; Peter Tracey, bass; Sadlers Wells Ch & O/Alexander Faris.
LP HMV OCLP 1468 [49:51]