Slovenian National Theatre Opera and Ballet Ljubljana—Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus (The Bat)

Champagne, chandeliers and the Waltz King at his most exuberant

Glittering chandeliers, swirling waltzes and free-flowing champagne—Johann Strauss II brings Vienna’s most intoxicating night to the stage in the opera Die Fledermaus. Audiences will recognise much of the score on first hearing: the overture, the “Champagne Song”, the waltzes and polkas threaded through the action.

The plot is set in motion by revenge: Dr Falke, left drunk on the street in a bat costume after a party prank by his friend Eisenstein, lures his tormentor to Prince Orlofsky’s lavish ball. Disguises and mistaken identities tumble over one another: wives posing as countesses, maids as actresses, masks hiding secrets, with an entire ballroom brewing a champagne-fuelled farce.

Strauss weaves waltz, polka and csárdás into a score that glitters with wit, from the intimacy of the salon to the brilliance of the ballroom. Sumptuous costumes, elegant period sets and an orchestra with soloists, chorus and dancers give the music the Viennese scale it deserves.