Page 262 - Weiss, Jernej, ur./ed. 2021. Opereta med obema svetovnima vojnama ▪︎ Operetta between the Two World Wars. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 5
P. 262
opereta med obema svetovnima vojnama
Mietek back the real bills of exchange and he immediately destroys them.
When the groom demands a kiss from the bride, the bridesmaids take off
her veil and it turns out that the person he married was not Jadja but Suza.
Staschek, deceived, faints, as does Casimir – terrified by Suza’s action and
her betrayal.
A short Act III takes place in the manor house belonging to Count
Staschek Zagorski. Suza explains to the heartbroken Casimir that she de-
cided to take such a step in order to save Jadja. The marriage between Suza
and Staschek turns into a farce – Suza behaves in a hysterical manner, con-
stantly wants presents from Staschek, teases him and keeps sulking. She
believes that such conduct will provoke Staschek to ask for a rapid divorce
that will be carried out on her terms. After Mietek has dissuaded Staschek
from establishing Suza’s fault in court, explaining the difficulties involved,
the disappointed groom has nothing else to do but humbly ask Suza for a
divorce. Staschek agrees to all her conditions, including reconciliation with
his nephew and paying him back all the money he had stolen, and signs di-
vorce documents. Everybody leaves, Staschek is left alone with his dog and
decides to lead a solitary life.
National stereotypes in the operetta’s plot
The very title of the operetta, Polish Wedding, implies a tradition of lav-
ish celebrations on the territory of Poland. According to various accounts,
wedding parties and feasts of many days were, for centuries, a trademark of
the aristocracy in Poland; the remnants of this culture, in a rather less im-
posing manner, can still be observed in Poles’ behaviour today. Information
on the course of this multi-day wedding party appears on numerous occa-
sions in the text, e.g. in the finale of first act: “Drei Tage wird getanzt und
getrunken” (For three days there will be dances and binge drinking). The
plot also presents the custom of six bridesmaids leading the bride to the al-
tar, though certain details of this practice are modified to fit Suza’s scheme.
What is also noteworthy is the attention given to a realistic depiction of the
manner in which the Poles feast, with the foods and drinks described, such
as the wedding punch (Hochzeitpunsch). In different parts of the plot, and
in stage directions, one can also find details of the characters’ national cos-
tumes: “in der Tracht eines schmucken polnischen Bauern” (in the outfit of
an elegant Polish peasant), “Boleslav trägt einfaches Nationalkostüm“ (Bole-
260
Mietek back the real bills of exchange and he immediately destroys them.
When the groom demands a kiss from the bride, the bridesmaids take off
her veil and it turns out that the person he married was not Jadja but Suza.
Staschek, deceived, faints, as does Casimir – terrified by Suza’s action and
her betrayal.
A short Act III takes place in the manor house belonging to Count
Staschek Zagorski. Suza explains to the heartbroken Casimir that she de-
cided to take such a step in order to save Jadja. The marriage between Suza
and Staschek turns into a farce – Suza behaves in a hysterical manner, con-
stantly wants presents from Staschek, teases him and keeps sulking. She
believes that such conduct will provoke Staschek to ask for a rapid divorce
that will be carried out on her terms. After Mietek has dissuaded Staschek
from establishing Suza’s fault in court, explaining the difficulties involved,
the disappointed groom has nothing else to do but humbly ask Suza for a
divorce. Staschek agrees to all her conditions, including reconciliation with
his nephew and paying him back all the money he had stolen, and signs di-
vorce documents. Everybody leaves, Staschek is left alone with his dog and
decides to lead a solitary life.
National stereotypes in the operetta’s plot
The very title of the operetta, Polish Wedding, implies a tradition of lav-
ish celebrations on the territory of Poland. According to various accounts,
wedding parties and feasts of many days were, for centuries, a trademark of
the aristocracy in Poland; the remnants of this culture, in a rather less im-
posing manner, can still be observed in Poles’ behaviour today. Information
on the course of this multi-day wedding party appears on numerous occa-
sions in the text, e.g. in the finale of first act: “Drei Tage wird getanzt und
getrunken” (For three days there will be dances and binge drinking). The
plot also presents the custom of six bridesmaids leading the bride to the al-
tar, though certain details of this practice are modified to fit Suza’s scheme.
What is also noteworthy is the attention given to a realistic depiction of the
manner in which the Poles feast, with the foods and drinks described, such
as the wedding punch (Hochzeitpunsch). In different parts of the plot, and
in stage directions, one can also find details of the characters’ national cos-
tumes: “in der Tracht eines schmucken polnischen Bauern” (in the outfit of
an elegant Polish peasant), “Boleslav trägt einfaches Nationalkostüm“ (Bole-
260
