• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

LEHÁR The Merry Widow A Guide for Educators The Merry Widow THE WORK An opera in three acts, sung in English Your wealthy husband just died, leaving you piles of money. The Music by Franz Lehár Pontevedrian ambassador in Paris wants to be your matchmaker. And your old boyfriend just appeared out of nowhere. What’s a girl to do? Libretto by Viktor Léon and Leo Stein Such is the conundrum facing Hanna Glawari, the “merry widow” at Based on the play L’Attaché d’Ambassade the heart of Franz Lehár’s effervescent operetta. Based on a French play by Henri Meilhac from the mid-19th century, The Merry Widow is one of the most successful English version by Jeremy Sams romances ever written for the operatic stage, a delightful concoction of First performed December 30, 1905, elegant romance, screwball comedy, and biting social critique, all wrapped at the Theater an der Wien, Vienna up in infinitely hummable melodies and unforgettable dance tunes. In director Susan Stroman’s hands, The Merry Widow is also a story of PRODUCTION self-discovery, as its title heroine endeavors to make sense of her changing Susan Stroman social status. A woman raised in the Pontevedrian countryside and Production now comfortably ensconced in the richest echelons of Parisian society, Julian Crouch Set Designer Hanna has learned to navigate a country and culture not her own. Yet William Ivey Long in a broader sense, too, Hanna occupies a sphere few women in the 19th Costume Designer century would have had the opportunity to enter: that of financial and Paule Constable social independence. Wily, resourceful, and savvy enough to surmount Lighting Designer both romantic mishaps and diplomatic entanglements, Hanna is a woman Susan Stroman Choreographer unwilling to let societal expectations dampen her joie-de-vivre. She’s strong, smart, and has grace in spades, ably emerging from her fellow PERFORMANCE Pontevedrians’ madcap schemes with her fortune, her independence, and her heart still very much intact. The Met: Live in HD Broadcast: January 17, 2015 This guide invites students to examine the world of The Merry Widow Renée Fleming through Hanna’s eyes. More than simply serving up laughs, Lehár’s Hanna Glawari work unveils many of the social and legal challenges that women have Nathan Gunn faced for centuries. As Hanna dances her way through the halls of the Count Danilo Danilovitch Pontevedrian embassy, students may enjoy exploring the broader socio- Sir Thomas Allen Baron Mirko Zeta political landscape in which a woman like Hanna would have lived. The Kelli O’Hara following pages include a selection of both primary and secondary sources Valencienne that will serve as a road map to this 19th-century world. By engaging Alek Shrader with Lehár’s operetta as a socio-historical document, students may find a Camille de Rosillon Andrew Davis deeper understanding of both The Merry Widow and contemporary works Conductor of music, literature, and art. Yet above all, The Merry Widow is meant to be enjoyed, and this guide will empower students to engage with the work’s Production a gift of The Sybil B. Harrington clever comedy, tender romance, and enduring charm. Endowment Fund HD Live in Schools is supported through a partnership with the New York City Department of Education FLEMING GUNN O’HARA SHRADER THE MET: HD LIVE IN SCHOOLS THE MERRY WIDOW 2 Opera in the Classroom The Metropolitan Opera Educator Guides offer a creative, interdisci- plinary introduction to opera. Designed to complement existing class- room curricula in music, the humanities, STEM fields, and the arts, these guides will help young viewers confidently engage with opera whether or not they have prior experience with the art form. On the following pages, you’ll find an array of materials designed to encourage critical thinking, deepen background knowledge, and empower students to engage with The Merry Widow’s story, music, library of congress prints and photographs division and themes. These materials can be used in classrooms and/or via remote-learning platforms, and they can be mixed and matched to suit FUN FACT your students’ individual academic needs. Above all, this guide is intended to help students explore The Merry The Merry Widow has been Widow through their own experiences and ideas. The diverse perspectives translated numerous times that your students bring to opera make the art form infinitely richer, and into English, and many we hope that your students will experience opera as a space where their translators have taken confidence can grow and their curiosity can flourish. considerable license in anglicizing the operetta’s WHAT’S IN THIS GUIDE: names and locations. In a Philosophical Chairs: A series of questions that will introduce 1907 production in New students to the opera’s main themes while sparking their creativity York, Hanna was renamed and encouraging debate Sonia, and her country of Who’s Who in The Merry Widow: An introduction to the opera’s main origin was “Marsovia.” characters and their roles in the plot In another version, Joan Synopsis: A complete opera synopsis for young readers Sutherland played the The Source: Information about the literary sources and/or historical widow “Anna,” who hails events that inspired the opera from “Pontevedria.” Timelines: One or more timelines connecting the opera to events in world history Deep Dives: In-depth looks at various topics relating to the opera CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS AND THE MERRY WIDOW Active Exploration: Interdisciplinary activities connecting the opera to topics in music, the humanities, STEM, and the arts This guide invites students to explore the opera through: Literature Drama THROUGHOUT THE GUIDE, YOU’LL ALSO FIND: Creative Writing Critical Inquiries: Questions and thought experiments designed to History Social Studies foster careful thinking Gender Studies Technology and Media Literacy Fun Facts: Entertaining tidbits about The Merry Widow Social and Emotional Learning Law Ethics Debate Dance Music Analysis Composition THE MET: HD LIVE IN SCHOOLS THE MERRY WIDOW 3 Philosophical Chairs Keep in mind that the Philosophical Chairs is an activity designed to foster critical thinking, process of this activity active inquiry, and respectful dialogue among students. To play a game of is just as important as the Philosophical Chairs, participants agree or disagree with a series of state- statements themselves. ments, but the game doesn’t end there. The most crucial element of the Imagine a world in which game is what happens next: Participants discuss their points of view and everyone actively listens can switch sides if their opinions change during the discussion. (For more to one another and tips on using Philosophical Chairs in a classroom or via a remote-learning engages in respectful platform, see the activity description in your Google Classroom.) dialogue, honoring others Each topic statement is deliberately open-ended yet ties into a number and showing respect for of the themes present in The Merry Widow—including the nature of love, the wide array of diverse the pressures of social status, and the difficulties that arise when politics ideas and opinions that and personal sentiments mix. As you and your students explore and learn others hold. Philosophical about The Merry Widow, you can return to these statements: What do they Chairs fosters exactly have to do with the opera’s story? How might these questions help us this kind of space, explore the opera’s story, history, and themes? encouraging students to take what they’ve THE STATEMENTS learned and change the • Flirting is harmless. global landscape for • Wealth is the key to happiness. generations to come. • You should always try to maintain your social status. • Pride is a virtue. • Pride is a vice. • You should only marry within your social class. • It is okay to tell a lie as long as it’s not about something very important. • Saying “I love you” is chock-full of meaning. (Ask students what it means to actually say “I love you” to someone. Does this phrase carry a duty to act in love, or is it just a meaningless phrase?) • There is only one form of love. • Marriage lasts forever. • Cheating (in a relationship) is harmless. • It is important to maintain a good reputation. • A will (instructions for the distribution of one’s belongings after one’s death) must be followed to the letter. • Politics should never impact personal matters. • Personal matters should never get mixed up in politics. THE MET: HD LIVE IN SCHOOLS THE MERRY WIDOW 4 Who’s Who in The Merry Widow VOICE CHARACTER PRONUNCIATION THE LOWDOWN TYPE Hanna Glawari HAH-nah soprano The “merry widow” of the opera’s title, Hanna is wealthy and beautiful— GLAH-vahr-ee A rich young widow and surrounded by suitors who want her money. Count Danilo Danilovitch DAH-nee-loh tenor or A ladies’ man, Danilo was once in love baritone with Hanna. Nowadays, however, he is dah-NEE-lo-vich An attaché at the Pontevedrian embassy more interested in drinking and flirting with the dancers at Maxim’s than in a long-term relationship. Baron Mirko Zeta MEER-koh ZEH-tah baritone A pompous (and foolish) older man married to a younger woman, Zeta is Pontevedro’s ambassador in Paris desperate to keep Hanna’s money in Pontevedrian hands. Njegus NYEH-goosh spoken A comedic character who facilitates much of the operetta’s action, Njegus has a Baron Zeta’s assistant tendency to put his foot in his mouth— to great comic effect. Valencienne Zeta vahl-en-SYEHN soprano Passionate yet concerned about her reputation, Valencienne loves Camille, Baron Zeta’s wife, in love with but she also wants to retain her Camille de Rosillon respectability as a married woman.

Load more

  23

Copy Link