About the work
Der Karneval in Rom (The Carnival in Rome) is a three-act operetta by Johann Strauss II, his second for the stage, with a libretto by Josef Braun and lyrics by Richard Genée. It premiered on 1 March 1873 at the Theater an der Wien, with Marie Geistinger in the lead role of Marie.
Plot
The Tyrolean farm girl Marie falls in love with the painter Arthur, who paints her portrait before moving on to Rome. She follows him there, disguises herself as a Savoyard boy and is taken on as his pupil, leading to complications with the flirtatious Countess Falconi until Arthur recognises Marie's true identity from a drawing.
Cultural significance
With this piece, Strauss moved further away from the musical model of Offenbach. The operetta largely fell into obscurity after its premiere and was rediscovered only in 1937, in an arrangement by Franz Marszalek performed in Dortmund; a major modern revival followed in 2004 at the Staatsoperette Dresden, based on the New Johann Strauss Complete Edition.