Karol Szymanowski

Lottery for Husbands, or Fiancé No. 69 holds a special place in Karol Szymanowski’s oeuvre. It is the only instance when the composer opted for the lighter genre of operetta. The original libretto and sung texts preserved in the score were penned by Szymanowski’s friend, Julian Krzewiński-Maszyński, a Lviv operetta artist and a sought-after author of many comic and operetta librettos. Unfortunately, the libretto of Lottery did not survive in full: the spoken dialogue linking the musical numbers together went missing. The Baltic Opera Festival’s production features newly written texts by excellent dramaturge and scriptwriter Wojciech Tomczyk. But that is not the only reason the staging is special. It will feature none other than Karol Szymanowski himself who is fully behind the premiere.

The plot is set in 1908 in America. A local car factory owner, Tobiasz Helgoland, has two sons, Charly and Darly. The bibulous rascals cross paths with a scheming impresario who travels across the country holding husband lotteries that attract the attention of old maids. Among those who turn up at one of the events is a Mrs Troodwood who buys a ticket for her unwed daughter, Sarah. Impressed by the girl, the roisterer Darly puts himself down for the lottery. Complications ensue but eventually the young couple develop feelings for each other and the whole affair ends in an engagement.

This staging of Lottery for Husbands, or Fiancé No. 69 was produced by the Kraków Opera and co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland through the Fund for the Promotion of Culture as part of the Music programme coordinated by the National Institute of Music and Dance.