WIENER BLUT

by Johann Strauß II (1825 - 1899).
The year is 1815. While the Congress of Vienna convenes and cavorts. Heads of state from all of the countries have poured into the imperial Austrian city. This is the historical background of the operetta Vienna Blood.

Act One

Anna! Anna! Ich such' jetzt da, ich such' jetzt dort (Anna, Anna! I've looked here, I've looked there) - with this restless entrance song we meet Josef, valet to Count Zedlau. Oh, this Count! Once a taciturn, stodgy provincial from the little state of Reuss-Schleiz-Greiz, he has been transformed into a dashing man of the world while in Vienna. Desperately looking for his employer, Josef has gone to suburban Dobling, to the Count's villa that Count Zedlau has placed at the disposal of his mistress, the dancer Franzi Cagliari.

But Josef's search is in vain. On the contrary: Franzi tries, in turn, to learn from Josef where the Count may be keeping himself, for she has not seen him for five days.

Josef, however, knows only that this morning the Count arrived in Vienna with his wife who had been living with her parents in Upper Austria since her marriage. Where the Count could be now Josef does not know either. Instead of the Count, old Kagler appears; he is a carousel-owner, musician and the father of Franzi who now calls herself Cagliari after the current Italianizing fashion. Kagler, who does not know that the Count is married, is angry because his "future son-in-law" is neglecting Franzi.

Suddenly he is there, the much-sought Count. Kagler and Josef retire; Franzi pretends to be insulted at first, but she cannot close her mind to the Count's argument that, after all, he must attend to his wife now and then.

Franzi, once again reconciled, has scarcely left the room to cook her lover's favorite dish when Josef comes in to present several documents to the Count. The latter, however, motions him away: the present day has brought enough problems already, for his wife is determined to live here in the villa which, understandably, must be prevented. After all, a number of things have changed since their wedding.

He boasts that he has become a real lady-killer since living in Vienna as the ambassador of Reuss-Schleiz-Greiz.

Then he tells Josef that, when he was with his wife at her dressmaker's, he had seen a truly delightful mannequin there. He deliberately left his cane in the shop so as to have an excuse to go there again - without his wife - and set up a rendezvous with the girl. But what if he cannot speak to her? Josef knows what the Count should do: in a letter invite the girl to the popular fete at Hietzing.

The Count is delighted and immediately dictates to Josef a love letter in which he invites the girl to Hietzing.

The Count has barely left the villa when Pepi Pleininger, Josef's girlfriend, comes in. She is bringing the dancer Franzi Cagliari the costume for the appearance at this evening's ball. What Josef does not know is that Pepi is the mannequin for whom the Count is so inflamed. Pepi and Josef arrange to meet this evening at the fete in Hietzing.

Franzi appears and finds out that the costume is too small for her. On the spot she decides that Pepi should lead the dance of the countesses at the ball in her stead. Pepi thanks her politely, and the two women leave the room. To Josef's disgust, Prince Ypsheim, the prime minister of Reuss-Schleiz-Greiz, now appears. He wants to pay his respects to Countess Zedlau. Father Kagler is also suddenly there again, and the Prince takes him to be the father of the Countess.

When Franzi then appears, the prime minister thinks she is Countess Zedlau.

He has planned to tell her about the scandalous behaviour of her husband whom he has seen this very morning with another woman (the Countess) in a coach. He speaks very disparagingly of the Count's mistress, a certain dancer named Cagliari. Still - he offers in consolation - such things pass, and then Count Zedlau will return to her in remorse. It is no wonder that Franzi takes all of this as bitter irony and leaves the salon insulted.

After Prince Ypsheim has also left the salon, the real Countess Zedlau appears. Having been made curious by her husband's behaviour, she wants to take a look at the villa. Memories of the time at the beginning of her marriage come to mind, but, at the same time, she senses that the key to the Count's odd conduct is to be found here.

The prime minister returns. Just as before he had taken Cagliari to be the Countess, now he thinks the Countess is the dancer. Very condescendingly, he reproaches her. Then the Count appears. He is surprised to find his wife here. At the Prince's urging, he is just trying to lead his wife out of the house when Franzi also joins them. What should he do now? 'Introduce the lady to your wife!' the Count requests of the Prince. It is not surprising that the latter promptly introduces the Countess as his wife. The confusion is complete.

Act Two

At Count Bitowski's ball. Many ambassadors and envoys are present.

The princely personages from England, with Lord Castlereagh at their head, are greeted with a theme from Erinnerungen an (Memories of) Covent Garden, a waltz by Strauss. Count and Countess Zedlau are also invited. The Countess demands of her husband an explanation of what happened in the villa, but she does not believe a word when he claims that the Prince had pretended she was his wife in order to rid himself of his mistress, the other woman. The Countess, nonetheless, agrees to play the Prince's wife further to help him free himself from his mistress.

Not one word of her husband's subterfuges does she believe. She has long realized: 'Wiener Blut' has now taken possession of her husband, and he has become a smart man of the world. Just what she had previously missed in him.

The Count has just barely weathered this interrogation when Franzi makes a scene because she thinks the Countess is the Count's new love. He tries to explain, but is interrupted by the arrival of the Spanish envoys. In their honour a tune from Strauss' Kennst du das Land, wo die Zitronen bluhn (Do you know the land where lemons blossom) is played. Count Bitowski comes for Franzi to lead the dance of the countesses, and Count Zedlau takes advantage of the opportunity to slip his letter to Pepi when she enters by chance.

She is supposed to give him her answer later. He then rushes out. The handwriting seems familiar to Pepi when she reads the letter. But she is determined that, if she goes to Hietzing, the Count will not be her escort. Josef enters, as usual in search of his employer. When Pepi reminds him of their date in Hietzing, Josef begs off as he must go to the Count. Urgent affairs of state await them. Then he rushes away. Pepi is left behind, disappointed and insulted. Well then, if Josef does not want to go with her, she will simply accept the Count's invitation after all.

First, however, she will fulfill her assignment in the dance of the countesses. At this moment the princely representatives of Russia make their entry to the sound of the Russian March by Johann Strauss. Kagler, who is one of the musicians playing, encounters the Prince who, still believing Kagler is the father of the Countess, informs him that his son-in-law has another woman. "What? Another woman, besides my daughter?" Kagler asks in astonishment. The Prince points to the Countess: There she is. Kagler takes her to task and advises her to let the Count go. But the Countess would not dream of doing that, so she leaves Kagler just standing there.

At last the time has come: Led by Pepi, the countesses present their dance.

Because Kagler has told her that his daughter would lead the dance, the Countess now takes Pepi to be her husband's sweetheart, and, after Pepi says yes to the Count's invitation, the Countess confronts him: at last she knows who is Cagliari. Then she asks him to go with her to Hietzing in the evening. He wards her off, 'Impossible, I have to work with the prime minister.' Right after the Countess goes off, Franzi comes in; she, too, would like to go to Hietzing with him in the evening. Again the Count declines, saying he must go to the fair with his wife. Then he slips away. The Prince comes to greet 'Countess' Franzi who tells him that the other woman is not the Prince's wife, but rather the Count's new love, and asks him to stop the Count from going to Hietzing with the other woman. The Prince promises to do all he can.

The Countess comes up and flatters the Prince in order to sound him out. In the end, she gets him to invite her to the fete in Hietzing.

She goes away, and the Prince triumphantly informs Franzi of his success. When the Countess returns, Franzi wantsto learn at last her rival's name, and the Prince promptly introduces Franzi as Countess Zedlau and the Countess as the dancer Cagliari. Whereupon the two ladies sing, Der ist faktisch verruckt (He is really out of his mind). Pepi appears and is introduced by the Countess as Demoiselle Cagliari. There is now total confusion. Josef joins them, but not even he is willing to reveal the identity of the ladies. The Count appears. He too, tries to wind his way out of the embarrassing situation.

Finally, it is the host of the ball, Count Bitowski, who resolves things when he officially welcomes the Countess in his palace. The act ends with a song in praise of the Viennese waltz.

Act Three

Entr'acte. With everyone slightly lightheaded from the wine, an idyllic mood holds sway in the casino in Hietzing. Lisi and Lori sing a Viennese song accompanied by the tavern band.

Pepi is looking for the Count: Surely he will not stand her up! The Countess appears with the prime minister. She, too, wants to find the Count. To remain undetected, they withdraw into an arbour. Now the Count appears with Pepi, as does Josef with Franzi. In three adjacent arbours the three couples drink their wine, each unaware of the other two.

When the Count moves too close to her, Pepi flees from the arbour. During their argument Franzi recognized the Count's voice: And he said he had to go to Hietzing with his wife! The Count slips away. Josef, supposedly, wants to find out what is going on, but he makes use of the opportunity to warn the Count of Franzi's presence. The Count immediately takes off and leaves it to Josef to console the girl in his arbour. Josef is thunderstruck when he sees Pepi. Aus ist's (It's all over!), he screams. Franzi and the Countess step out of their arbours. After they have finally introduced themselves with their real names, they decide to join forces against the Count and in order to find the mysterious third woman who is here with the Count. 16 When the Count appears at last, all of the confusion is cleared up: The Count falls in love anew with his wife, and Josef forgives his Pepi.

All agree: 'Das kommt vom (that comes from) Wiener Blut!'

Translation: E. D. Echols