About the work
Melusina is a romantic opera in three acts by Conradin Kreutzer, with a libretto by Franz Grillparzer. Grillparzer had originally written the text for Beethoven, who declined to set it to music; the material later passed to Kreutzer, then Kapellmeister of the Vienna court opera. The opera premiered on 27 February 1833 at the Königsstädtisches Theater in Berlin, followed by its Austrian premiere in 1835 at the Theater in der Josefstadt in Vienna.
Plot
The water sprite Melusina marries a mortal knight and promises him wealth and power, on condition that he never look at her on Saturdays. When his curiosity gets the better of him, their happiness collapses, and the union ends disastrously for both.
Cultural significance
Conducted by Kreutzer himself, the premiere with Amalie Hähnel in the title role was a great success, but the opera later disappeared from the repertoire and is absent even from the Harenberg opera encyclopedia.