Aschenbroedel

Aschenbrödel or Aschenbroedel (Cinderella) is a ballet by Johann Strauss II although it was finished by ballet composer Josef Bayer in 1900 after Strauss died in 1899, leaving the work unfinished although he had already written all the principle parts of the ballet, intending to fill in the orchestration as time permitted.

Related Topics:
Ballet - Johann Strauss II - Josef Bayer - 1900 - 1899

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The idea for Strauss to write a ballet came from Rudolf Lothar, who was the editor of the influential magazine Die Wage (The Weighing Scales) after Eduard Hanslick suggested that Strauss should write a full-score ballet having been encouraged by Strauss' impressive Act 3 ballet score in his only opera Ritter Pásmán. On 5 March 1898, a contest was organised in order to decide a proper scenario for Strauss' new ballet. The panel of judges consists of Eduard Hanslick, the feared music and dance critic; Gustav Mahler, the controversial conductor and composer who at the time also directed the Vienna Court Opera (including its ballet company), maecenas Nikolaus Dumba, Strauss himself, and Rudolf Lothar.

Related Topics:
Eduard Hanslick - Ritter Pásmán - 5 March - 1898 - Gustav Mahler - Vienna Court Opera - Nikolaus Dumba

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Finally, it was decided (after receiving over 700 entries) that the winner would be an anonymous A. Kollmann from Salzburg. The prize money was even effected through a lawyer representative and there were even rumours circulated that Kollmann was a pseudonym and that he may even be a member of the royalty in Emperor Franz Josef's court.

Related Topics:
Salzburg - Pseudonym - Franz Josef

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Strauss was not particularly impressed with the scenario set in a modern department store although he set to work almost immediately. He worked at his pace and refused to be rushed, and by winter 1898, he was able to complete the Act 1 and was able to perform small parts of the orchestral version on piano. By the time Strauss died in Vienna on 3 June 1899, the work lay unfinished although sketches of the entire work was already done.

Related Topics:
1898 - Vienna - 3 June - 1899

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Josef Bayer duly completed the work in 1900 and presented the score to Gustav Mahler for future production at the Vienna Court Opera. Mahler refused to appraise the score, doubting the originality of the work as Bayer himself was also a ballet composer and when shown the original score in Strauss' writing, he claimed that he could not care for the music. Many persistent rumours suggested that he was not interested in ballet at all and only concentrated on full-scale opera works. This has been disputed by the fact that Mahler himself was eager to obtain the rights to stage Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty ballet and that due to the lack of budget, he was not able to stage 'Cinderella' as envisioned in the scenario.

Related Topics:
Josef Bayer - 1900 - Gustav Mahler - Tchaikovsky

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1901, Berlin's Royal Opera took interest in the score, with its directors captivated by the music although they disapproved of the scenario. Their choreographer Emil Graeb suggested a change to the scenario and the task fell to Austrian writer Henrich Regel. The work's premiere on 2 May 1901 was a success, although reservations were made by Strauss' biographer, Ignatz Schnitzer who commented that Bayer's orchestration fell short of Vienna's light-heartedness and the now-revised scenario was too 'puritanical'.

Related Topics:
1901 - Berlin - Choreographer - Emil Graeb - Austrian - Henrich Regel - 2 May - Ignatz Schnitzer

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mahler left the Vienna Court Opera at the end of the 1907 season. The new director Felix Weingartner who was impressed with the score, eagerly sought it out and conducted the orchestra himself at the premiere in Vienna on 4 October 1908. The ballet was regularly performed for seven years, achieving forty-six performances until the outbreak of World War I. Ironically, Mahler proved to be more accurate in his judgment as to the cost of the production as the Viennese performances were expensive and was neglected until 1975 when the ballet was resurrected.

Related Topics:
1907 - Felix Weingartner - Vienna - 4 October - 1908 - World War I - 1975

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~