Editing Die Fledermaus (section)

==Performance history==
[[File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F001502-0008, Düsseldorf, Opernhaus.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|''Die Fledermaus'', Düsseldorf, 1954]]
The operetta premiered on 5 April 1874 at the [[Theater an der Wien]] in Vienna and has been part of the regular repertoire ever since.

It was performed in New York under [[Rudolf Bial]] at the [[Bowery Amphitheatre|Stadt Theatre]] on 21 November 1874. The German première took place at Munich's [[Gärtnerplatztheater]] in 1875. ''Die Fledermaus'' was sung in English at London's [[Alhambra Theatre]] on 18 December 1876, with its score modified by [[Hamilton Clarke]].<ref name=obs>''[[The Observer]]'', 4 May 1930, p. 14: interview with ROH archivist Richard Northcott in connection with revival of ''{{Lang|de|Die Fledermaus}}'' conducted by [[Bruno Walter]]</ref>
[[File:Strauss - La Tzigane poster.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Poster for the original French translation, ''La Tzigane'']]
When the operetta came to Paris in 1877 at the [[Théâtre de la Renaissance]], as ''La Tzigane'', with [[Jean-Vital Jammes|Ismaël]] and [[Zulma Bouffar]] in the cast, it was not a success;<ref name="Stoullig3">Noel E and Stoullig E. ''[[Les Annales du Théâtre et de la Musique]], 3eme édition, 1877.'' G Charpentier et Cie, Paris, 1878, 452–454.</ref> only in 1904, with Meilhac and Halevy's original roles names and the words adapted by [[Paul Ferrier]] to the music (with [[Max Dearly]] and [[Ève Lavallière]] in the cast) did it find success in Paris and enter the repertoire there.<ref>Stoullig E. ''[[Les Annales du Théâtre et de la Musique]], 30eme edition'', 1904. Librairie Paul Ollendorff, Paris, 1905, 203–205.</ref>

The first London performance in German did not take place until 1895.<ref name=obs /> According to the archivist of the [[Royal Opera House|Royal Opera House, Covent Garden]], "Twenty years after its production as a lyric opera in Vienna, [composer and conductor Gustav] [[Gustav Mahler|Mahler]] raised the artistic status of Strauss's work by producing it at the [[Hamburg State Opera|Hamburg Opera House]] [...] all the leading opera houses in Europe, notably [[Vienna State Opera|Vienna]] and [[Bavarian State Opera|Munich]], have brightened their regular repertoire by including it for occasional performance."<ref name=obs />

The role of Eisenstein was originally written for a [[tenor]] but is now frequently sung by a [[baritone]]. The role of Orlofsky is a [[trouser role]], usually performed by a [[mezzo-soprano]], sometimes by a [[countertenor]] and occasionally – an octave lower – by a [[tenor]].<ref>Recordings exist in which tenor singers ([[Rudolf Christ]], [[Gerhard Stolze]], and [[Wolfgang Windgassen]]) play Orlofsky.</ref>

The party of act 2 allows productions to insert a variety of additional entertainment acts, such as music, comedy, or dance. The lengthy drunken soliloquy by Frosch (a comedy speaking role) in act 3 also permits variety in performance.