On 25 November 1847 the k.k. Hof-Operntheater, situated beside the Kärntnerthor, opened its doors to the première of a four-act opera written especially for Vienna and entitled Martha ader der Markt van Richmond" (Martha, or The Fair at Richmond). Based on the ballet-pantomime Lady Henriette, ou La Servante de Greenwich (Lady Henrietta, or the Servant-Girl of Greenwich) by J.H. Vernoy de Saint-Georges, the text for Martha was the work of W. Friedrich (real name: Friedrich Wilhelm Riese) while the music had been written by the German composer Friedrich Freiherr von Flotow (1812-83), who had earlier contributed the music for one act of Saint-Georges's ballet (1844). From the royal box at the Hof-Operntheater, the Austrian Emperor Ferdinand (1793-1875) attended the first night of Martha, and was able to witness its triumphant success. The opera swiftly spread around the world: on 4 June 1849 the stage work reached England - the setting for Flotow's gentle, sentimental comedy - when a German-language production was mounted at London's Drury Lane Theatre.
Johann Strauss (Sohn): Martha-Quadrille op. 46 (Titelblatt) © by WJSO-Archive
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