About the work
Libellentanz is an operetta in three acts by Franz Lehár with a libretto by Alfred Maria Willner, built largely on the music of Lehár's unsuccessful earlier operetta Der Sterngucker (1916). The Italian-language premiere, as La danza delle Libellule, took place in Milan in 1922; the German version followed on 31 March 1923 at the Stadttheater Wien.
Plot
The wealthy M. Piper has bought a castle near Nancy and invites friends to enjoy winter pastimes in its park and a performance at the castle's own theatre; among the assembled dukes, counts and other guests, several romantic entanglements unfold.
Cultural significance
While the German version fared no better than its source, the work went on to lasting success in Italy. In 1924 Ben Travers staged his own English adaptation, The Three Graces, at London's Empire Theatre, where it ran for 121 performances.