About the work
Der Obersteiger (The Mine Foreman) is an operetta in three acts by Carl Zeller to a libretto by Moritz West and Ludwig Held, first performed on 5 January 1894 at the Theater an der Wien with Alexander Girardi in the lead role. It was Zeller's second great stage success after Der Vogelhändler.
Plot
Mine foreman Martin discovers a new vein of silver but is promptly dismissed for it, and unknowingly falls for a woman he believes to be a lace-maker named Julie, who turns out to be a wealthy countess. After a string of mix-ups at a society party in the capital, the confusion resolves and Martin returns to his original sweetheart, Nelly.
Cultural significance
The operetta owes its lasting fame chiefly to the song "Sei nicht bös'", which has taken on a life of its own as a concert piece, even as the work as a whole is performed less often today.