About the work
Waldmeister (Woodruff) is a three-act operetta by Johann Strauss II to a libretto by Gustav Davis, the only one of his operettas set in Germany rather than Austria or abroad. It premiered on 4 December 1895 at the Theater an der Wien, with Alexander Girardi in a leading role.
Plot
Trainee foresters caught in a storm take shelter at a Saxon forest mill, where a botany professor and the singer Pauline become entangled in romantic confusion around the forest superintendent Tymoleon, who is engaged to Freda but loves someone else. A punch accidentally brewed with woodruff deepens the mix-up before the right couples finally find each other.
Cultural significance
The piece ran for 88 performances at its premiere venue; the influential critic Eduard Hanslick praised the orchestration after opening night, and Johannes Brahms, a friend of Strauss's, was likewise complimentary. Compared with hits such as Die Fledermaus or Der Zigeunerbaron, however, Waldmeister always stood in the shade and is rarely staged today.