About the work
Cagliostro in Wien (Cagliostro in Vienna) is a three-act operetta by Johann Strauss II to a libretto by Camillo Walzel (F. Zell) and Richard Genée. Strauss conducted the premiere on 27 February 1875 at the Theater an der Wien, with Marie Geistinger and Alexander Girardi in the lead roles.
Plot
The Italian impostor Cagliostro arrives incognito in Vienna in 1765 to prevent the betrothal of Archduke Leopold to the Spanish princess Maria Luise. Claiming powers of hypnosis and the ability to turn base metal into gold, he ensnares Empress Maria Theresia, while further romantic entanglements unfold around Baron Schnucki and Lieutenant Feri, until Cagliostro's tricks are exposed and he escapes by balloon.
Cultural significance
Unlike Die Fledermaus, which initially flopped, Cagliostro in Wien was an immediate success thanks to its popular cast of Geistinger and Girardi, but it disappeared from the repertoire almost as quickly, its score generally judged weaker than Strauss's other works. A 1941 revision by Karl Tutein and Gustav Quedenfeldt brought it some renewed attention.