User:Adam Cuerden/Fatinitza

Fatinitza is a comic opera by Franz von Suppé which premièred on January 5, 1876, at the Carltheater Vienna. Its plot is an adaptation of

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=wYfyNV5FUQEC&lpg=PA51&ots=914lwDixZb&dq=Hermine%20Meyerhoff%20wilhelm%20Knaack%20Fatinitza&pg=PA51#v=onepage&q=Hermine%20Meyerhoff%20wilhelm%20Knaack%20Fatinitza&f=false

150 Years of Popular Music Theatre By Andrew Lamb

http://archive.org/stream/fatinitzacomicop00supp#page/8/mode/2up

A handsome and very youthful lieutenant of a Circassian regiment in the Russian army, named Vladimir Samoiloff, while masqerading in girl's dress under the name of Fatinitza, is met by a rough old general, Count Timofay Kantschakoff, who falls violently in love with him. Vladimir extricates himself from this dilemma, and afterwards, in Odessa, meets the general's niece, the Princess Lydia Ivanovna, whom he knows only as Lydia, and the two form a romantic attachment. Hearing of this, the old general has the young officer transferred to the outposts of the Russian army on the Danube.

The piece opens with a scene in camp before Rustchuk. After some characteristic military scenes, during which Vladimir tells the story of his love for Lydia, an American newspaper special correspondent, Julian Hardy, the good genius of just about everybody in the piece, is brought on by the Cossacks as a spy, but is recognized hy Vladimir as an old friend. To relieve the ennui of camp-life, he proposes that they have some private theatricals, a suggestion which is hailed with delight. Vladimir agrees to play the "leading lady", and, while all the company has retired to dress for the rehearsal, Gen. Kantschakoff arrives unexpectedly. He pounces upon Julian, who escapes by showing his passports, and quite gets the better of the old general by his professional impudence. Vladimir then comes on in peasant-giil's attire, and is recognized by the general as his first and only love, Fatinitza. Then come the cadets, soldiers, and officers, disguised in all sorts of absurd costumes, to the great astonishment and intense rage of the general, who is, however, conciliated by the pretended Fatinitza, who coaxes him to let the offenders go. Glad to be left alone with his love, the general orders them off to drill ; but his love-making is interrupted by the announcement of the arrival of his niece, the Princess Lydia, whose noble rank is thus first revealed to Vladimir, who fears recognition in his disguise. Complications are again smoothed over by the correspondent, Julian, who explains the resemblance by telling the princess that Fatinitza is her lover Vladimir's sister. The general commends Fatinitza to the princess, and goes off to inspect the troops. A band of Bashi-Bazouks then steal upon the scene, surprise the Russian works, and capture the princess, Vladimir, and Julian; leaving the latter behind,however, to arrange for ransom for their captives. Jnst as they are going, the Russian troops return, but are prevented from firing upon the retreating Turks by the General, for fear that they " might hit Fatinitza !"

The second Act shows us the harem of the reform Turk, Yffiz Pasha, the governor of the Turkish fortress; and there are some comical scenes with his family of four wives. Vladimir, still in woman's guise, and Lydia are brought in as captives ; and the Pasha announces to his four "better halves" that he is about to add Lydia to their number, much to their vexation. Then comes Julian, with the Russian Sergeant Steipann, to arrange for the release of the captives. The Pasha is willing to give up Fatinitza, but refuses to part with Lydia. Steipann is despatched to carry the Pasha's terms to the General, with a secret message from Julian telling how he can surprise the Turks with his army; Julian having obtained the knowedge from Vladimir, who, in a previous scene, has declared his identity to Lydia, and also to the four wives, whom he persuades to abet their escape. Julian is left as the guest of the Pasha, and the two have a jolly time together. A "Karagois," or Turkish shadow-pantomime, is gotten up for the entertainment of the strangers; but it is given an unlooked-for conclusion by the arrival of the Russians, who come to rescue their friends.

The third Act takes place in the General's summer palace near Odessa. The princess has been promised by the General to a maimed and crippled old friend of his, but Julian arrives with Vladimir, and, through the ingenuity of the former, matters are smoothed over, and the General, who finds in the Fatinitza whose coming he has been impatiently expecting nothing but a veiled negress bearing that name is made to believe that the real Fatinitza died of grief at her separation from him, so he consents jto the union of her brother Vladmir, whom she commits to his care in a letter, with his niece. Adapted (currently quoted, but I shall rewrite and trim this down) from the public domain summary in