Richard Genée


Franz Friedrich Richard Genée was a Prussian-born Austrian librettist, playwright, and composer.

Life

Genée was born in Danzig. He died in Baden bei Wien.

Works

He is most famous for the libretto of Die Fledermaus, Johann Strauss II's most famous operetta. He co-wrote the libretto without having met top-billed librettist Karl Haffner, who constructed the new story based on a play by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, which was considered too shocking to perform outside Paris. Genée, however, wrote the operetta's actual text and drew nothing from Haffner beyond the names of the characters. One of his best-known works was the libretto of Carl Millöcker's operetta Der Bettelstudent, which he co-wrote with Friedrich Zell. He also wrote the libretto to Ella Adayevskaya's 1877 opera Zarya. In 1857, he was conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra Mainz.

Librettos and plays

Polyphen oder Ein Abenteuer auf Martinique Der Geiger aus Tirol Der Liebesring um Ein Trauerspiel Ein Narrentraum Die Generalprobe Die Herren von der Livrée Die Talismänner Rosita Der schwarze Prinz Die Zopfabschneider Am Runenstein Schwefeles, der Höllenagent Eine Konzertprobe Der Hexensabbath Der Sänger mit drei Tönen Der Karneval in Rom, with Josef Braun, operetta in 3 acts Die Fledermaus, with Carl Haffner, operetta in 3 acts Cleopatra oder Durch drei Jahrtausende Cagliostro in Wien, with F. Zell, operetta in 3 acts Fatinitza, with F. Zell, Operetten in 3 acts
  • , with F. Zell, operetta in 3 acts Luftschlösser Im Wunderland der Pyramiden Die letzten Mohikaner Die Fornarina, with F. Zell and Moritz West, operetta in 3 acts
  • Boccaccio, with F. Zell, operetta in 3 acts
  • Die Dubarry, with F. Zell, operetta in 3 acts Das Spitzentuch der Königin, with Heinrich Bohrmann-Riegen, operetta in 3 acts Apajune, der Wassermann, with F. Zell, operetta in 3 acts
  • Donna Juanita, with F. Zell, operetta in 3 acts Nisida Der Gascogner, with F. Zell, operetta in 3 acts Rosina Der lustige Krieg, with F. Zell, operetta in 3 acts Der Bettelstudent, with F. Zell, operetta in 3 acts Eine Nacht in Venedig, with F. Zell, operetta in 3 acts Die Afrikareise, with Moritz West, operetta in 3 acts Gasparone, with F. Zell, operetta in 3 acts Eine gemachte Frau Zwillinge Die Piraten Der Vizeadmiral, with F. Zell, operetta in 3 acts Die Dreizehn Die Jagd nach dem Glück, with Bruno Zappert, operetta in 3 acts Signora Vedetta Die wachsame Schildwache
  • ''Freund Felix''

Musical compositions

Films based on his works