Franz von Suppé 1819-1895
His father was a Belgian and his mother came from Austria.
The Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti was his uncle.
With composer and conductor Franz von Suppé the mocking operettas of Jacques Offenbach get a Viennese sequel.
Suppé's theater work is also teasing and parodies ancient culture or a dissolute medieval society.
He is very successful with his overtures for farces and comics ('Dichter und Bauer', 'Ein Morgen, ein Mittag und ein Abend in Wien').
Of his ca. thirty operettas, only a few have remained on the repertoire: 'Die schöne Galathée' (1865) and 'Boccaccio' (1879)
Franz von Suppé starts the dominance of the German-language operetta, but is soon surpassed by Johann Strauss Jr.
Renate Holm & Rudolf Schock
Her debut at the Vienna Volksoper in 1961 marks the start of a long singing career. From 1964 to 1991 she is part of the Vienna State Opera, where she performs many times under the musical direction of Herbert von Karajan.
In 1958 Rudolf Schock is her singing partner in a television performance of the Franz von Suppé operetta 'Die schöne Galathée'.
In the sixties and seventies Renate Holm and Rudolf Schock regularly perform together. In the gramophone record studio they mainly sing in operettas, including 'Boccaccio' in 1962 and 'Die Fledermaus' under Robert Stolz in 1964. In 1974 Berté/Schubert's operetta 'Das Dreimäderlhaus' premieres with them.
Renate Holm's singing style is of an enchanting directness. Spontaneity characterizes her appearance, acting and singing. Diva mannerisms are strange to her. The crystal-clear sound of her voice still enchants me to this day.
'If I only had your Love/Hab' ich nur deine Liebe' from 'Boccaccio':
It is useful to know that 'If I only had your Love' has been added by Franz von Suppé to the 'Boccaccio' libretto of his lyricists F.Zell (a pseudonym!) and Richard Genée. Not to their satisfaction, by the way.
It is painful that just this song made the hearts of the audience beat the fastest. It struck a nerve in a score that was already full of contageous music.
The combination of this music and these words got people thinking. Packaged in a beautiful melody, they got an intriguing life lesson, which puts (real) love above (true) loyalty.
The actual author of this text was a friend of Franz von Suppé: naval officer and poet Heinrich von Littrow (1820-1895). He published the poem entitled: 'Love and Loyalty' over 20 years before the premiere of 'Boccaccio'.
Who is Boccaccio?
Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375) is a humanist writer and storyteller from Florence (Italy).
Around 1350, in times of the plague pandemic, he and his friends wrote the 'Decameron', a hundred intriguing stories about love and deception.
In those stories, he and his muse Fiametta often play a leading role.
About the role of the song in the operetta:
Peronella, Fiametta's foster mother, urges Fiometta to get married as soon as possible during church attendance. The man, who regularly pays the board money for her, has reported that he is ready to marry the girl now.
Fiametta rebels: she doesn't want to marry someone she doesn't love.
Peronella points out that life is more about "loyalty" than "love".
Fiametta disagrees. She sings the song "If I only had that love, I don't need the
"loyalty". Then Boccaccio shows up, who has been worshiping Fiametta remotely for a while. He completely agrees with her, gives her a rose and confirms his feelings by repeating the last lines of the song.
Two performances with Rudolf Schock of 'If I only had your Love':
- In 1955 conductor Wilhelm Schüchter, Anneliese Rothenberger and Rudolf Schock turn it into a majestic recited duet(!).
The only reference to the operetta act is the sound of a church bell.
It almost looks like a solemn wedding ceremony.
Anneliese Rothenberger and Rudolf Schock - in their very best years of singing - sing very, very beautiful.
LINK: Anneliese Rothenberger & Rudolf Schock: 'Hab' ich nur deine Liebe'
(YouTube upload: "tigervonwhiskeypur")
- in 1962 Frank Fox (see also under 'RS sings Berté/Schubert' and 'RS sings Kálmán') conducts Renate Holm and - at the end - Rudolf Schock entirely in accordance with the operetta act.
Renate Holm is a Fiametta, who struggles to control her rebellion.
She sings her answer to the foster mother a little bit provoking. Stubbornness is lurking. Rudolf Schock's input is appropriately imperative.
Conductor and soloists make the tense situation tangible.
NB:
In the near future I hope to supplement this article with comments about Renate Holm and Rudolf Schock in 'Die schöne Galathée'.
Krijn de Lege, 11.5.2020
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