A fascinating example of Viennese operetta. Its sheer tunefulness is an obvious attraction.

Collections of overtures by Suppé are common – and very welcome. Most include that to “Pique Dame”. It is surely one of the best, from its quiet, intriguing, start to its infectious galop at the end, not forgetting the comically prim section with two flutes in thirds in the middle. Here, not before time, is a chance to find out what happens in the rest. Or at least, to hear the rest of the music, as no libretto is included and the synopsis given in the notes is far from clear. Whilst I do not miss the dialogue I am sure that my enjoyment would have been greatly increased by something more than brief and poorly written indications as to what happens in each number. As it is, the notes do explain that “Pique Dame” is a revision of an earlier operetta, “Die Kartenschlägerin”, which was also derived at several removes from Pushkin’s story, “The Queen of Spades”. Neither seems to have much in common with Tchaikovsky’s opera of that name. Essentially the operetta on this disc concerns a young composer, Emil, in love with Hedwig. Her guardian, Fabian Muker, is also in love with her. The plot revolves around the actions of Judith, a fortune-teller wrongly thought to be Emil’s mother, in exposing Muker and ensuring the marriage of Emil and Hedwig. At the end Muker is revealed as Emil’s uncle. Perhaps this is all clearer with a full libretto but given the luke-warm reception the work had at its first performance I would doubt it.

Operas and operettas let down by mediocre librettos are not uncommon, but they can be worth reviving if the music is of sufficient quality. That is the case here, although I have to say that in compiling the overture Suppé did make use of most of the better parts of the nine vocal sections that follow it. The opening number is a solo for Emil who is composing in his garret. Part is accompanied by the piano – a delightful and very effective idea – and indeed Suppé’s imagination and skill in orchestration is one of the main pleasures of the work as a whole. It is followed by a duet for Emil and Judith. The booklet notes rightly describe this as reminding the listener of “Il Trovatore” and of items from other Verdi operas. This is certainly true, although it has to be admitted that as a parody it is not as amusing as, say, the duet for Frederic and Ruth in “The Pirates of Penzance”. It is nonetheless entertaining, as is the work as a whole.

The performance starts well with a splendid account of the overture – at least as good as any of the many recordings of it I have already in collections of operatic orchestral items. Thereafter the orchestra, and the chorus in the few moments in which they appear, continue to be the main strength of the disc. The soloists are all clearly no strangers to the idiom but none have voices of outstanding beauty and indeed there are a few uncomfortable moments from the men. Nonetheless these are certainly not enough to put off anyone wanting to explore this fascinating example of the birth of Viennese operetta. There are no rival recordings as far as I am aware and its comparative brevity and sheer tunefulness are obvious attractions. It is surely an essential purchase for the devotee of Viennese operetta. It would also have much to offer those whose taste is more usually for Offenbach or Sullivan.

-- John Sheppard, MusicWeb International

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SUPPÉ Pique Dame • Michail Jurowski, cond; Anjara Ingrid Bartz ( Judith ); Mojca Erdmann ( Hedwig ); Tom Erik Lie ( Emil ); Thomas Dewald ( Fabian Muker ); Anneli Pfeffer ( Henriette ); others; WDR RO and Ch • CPO 777 480-2 (55:56)


Franz von Suppé’s overtures continue to be popular, but how often do we hear the works they were intended to precede? Not once in decades of collecting have I heard an operetta by Suppé, and now that I have, thanks to this CD, I am no less willing to hear another.


I recently wrote booklet notes for a release that included the overture to Pique Dame , and in researching it, I read that (1) the operetta was lost, and (2) that it was based on the same Pushkin story that was the basis of Tchaikovsky’s eponymous opera. Wrong and wrong. Obviously the music is not lost, and although the operetta may have been composed to capitalize on the popularity of Pushkin’s story and other works it inspired, it has nothing to do with the story itself. Instead, Suppé’s operetta, with a libretto by one “S.S.,” is standard genre fare involving an impecunious composer (Emil), the woman he loves (Hedwig), a wealthy competitor (Fabian Muker) who holds Emil in debt, and a cartomancer (Judith) who arranges a happy ending for Emil and Hedwig and the comeuppance of the wolfish Muker. Pique Dame is a revision of an unsuccessful operetta called Die Kartenschlägerin , and its predecesor really does appear to be lost. Pique Dame premiered in Graz in 1864. Only a little more successful than its predecessor, parts of it were recycled in Boccaccio.


Apart from the justly popular overture, there are nine numbers—arias, duets, a terzetto, and two involving the entire cast. Most of the overture’s tunes appear in the operetta proper. The rip-snorting can-can that ends the overture corresponds to No. 8 in the score, racily designated as “Orgy,” but don’t get your hopes up, because the action is strictly G-rated! Suppé casts his net wider, stylistically speaking, than Johann Strauss II did in his operettas. The Viennese element is obvious, but Pique Dame also looks west to France and south to Italy, and while several of the numbers “have a good beat, and you can dance to them” (to quote American Bandstand ) there is more to them than that. I think even fans of Gilbert and Sullivan will find something to enjoy in Pique Dame . I will be returning to it with pleasure.


This recording makes a good case for it. Baritone Tom Erik Lie and mezzo-soprano Anjara Ingrid Bartz have voices that are a little more wobbly than one might like. However, this is operetta, not Parsifal , and one appreciates their efforts at creating a character. Soprano Mojca Erdmann is both characterful and pretty in voice, so she is the cast’s stand-out singer. The supporting cast members, who have relatively little to do, do it very capably. The element that keeps everyone ticking along is Michail Jurowski’s conducting, which allows the score its share of sparkle and melodic interest. Pique Dame is hardly serious music, but the performers respect it and do their share to help it succeed. The only black mark on this enterprise is the absence of German texts and translations. The booklet note gives a number-by-number outline of the operetta’s action, but that really is not enough, and cpo would have earned my unqualified praise had it at least published the texts and translations online. Still, even that omission did not prevent me from enjoying Pique Dame . Even if you find Strauss too cozy and Offenbach too silly, Suppé might make you happy.


FANFARE: Raymond Tuttle