Opera - Auditions

Audition Sign-Up

 

Die Fledermaus, by Johann Strauss

Begins rehearsal Fall 2016, performances May 11 and 12

Please prepare two contrasting pieces, at least one an aria, and at least one in English

 

Auditions Friday, September 28,  3 - 6pm, WSH

Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior and fill-out an audition sheet

Yuliya Minina is the staff pianist for these auditions.

 

Audition Sheet

 

Die Fledermaus was Strauss’s third operetta for Vienna’s Theatre an der Wien. The piece was based on a popular French vaudeville comedy, its action tidied up for the supposedly more-elevated tastes of Viennese audiences. At its premiere, critics still found it scandalous, in part because its story of a practical joke spinning out of control seemed ill-suited for performance on what happened to be Easter Sunday. Audiences, however, immediately loved it.

Musically, Die Fledermaus is thoroughly high-spirited, with numerous waltz and polka themes. Leading lady Rosalinde is given a faux-Hungarian aria; the maid Adele has her own aria aptly called the “Laughing Song.” The entire work has only one really quiet scene: a chorus in praise of brotherhood and love. Young Prince Orlofsky is played by a mezzo-soprano in masculine garb, as would have been the case in the time of Mozart. In all, Die Fledermaus continued to be an audience pleaser into even into the 21st century.

Principal Roles

(in order of appearance)

  • Rosalinde von Eisenstein, a Viennese lady (soprano)
  • Gabriel von Eisenstein, her husband (tenor/baritone)
  • Adele, a chambermaid (soprano)
  • Alfred, an Italian opera singer (tenor)
  • Dr. Falke, Gabriel von Eisenstein’s friend (baritone)
  • Dr. Blind, a lawyer (high voice)
  • Frank, a prison warden (baritone)
  • Orlofsky, a Russian prince (mezzo-soprano)
  • Frosch (sometimes named Frogg), a jailer (speaking part)
  • Ida (sometimes named Sally), Adele’s sister (soprano)
  • Ivan (Yvan), Orlofsky’s majordomo (speaking part)
  • Party guests, servants, dancers, entertainers