Friedrich von Flotow

Friedrich Adolf Ferdinand, Freiherr von Flotow /flo:to/ (27 April 1812 – 24 January 1883) was a German composer. He is chiefly remembered for his opera Martha, which was popular in the 19th century and the early part of the 20th.

Friedrich von Flotow, 1866
Grave of Friedrich von Flotow in the "Alter Friedhof" (old cemetery) in Darmstadt, Germany

Life

Born in Teutendorf, in Mecklenburg, into an aristocratic family, Flotow was French-trained. Although he was intended for a diplomatic career, his father acceded to his wishes and he studied at the Conservatoire de Paris under Anton Reicha.[1] During this time came under the influence of Auber, Rossini, Meyerbeer, Donizetti, Halévy, and later Gounod and Offenbach. These influences are reflected in his operas, where a distinctive French opéra comique flavour exists.

During the 1830 revolution he returned home, writing chamber music and operetta until it was safe to return to Paris.[1] He completed his first opera in 1835, Pierre et Cathérine, but his breakthrough came with Le naufrage de la Méduse (1839), based on the wreck of the warship Méduse. The three-act romantic opera Alessandro Stradella of 1844 is recognized as one of Flotow's finer works. Martha was first staged in Vienna at the Theater am Kärntnertor on 25 November 1847, and soon became one of the best-loved of all his operas.

In 1848 revolution again drove Flotow home.[1] Between 1856 and 1863 he served as Intendant of the court theatre at Schwerin. From 1863 he lived in either Paris or Vienna,[1] and he had the satisfaction of seeing his operas mounted as far away as Saint Petersburg and Turin. He died in Darmstadt.

Works

Operas
Main article: List of operas by Friedrich von Flotow

In all, Flotow wrote about 30 operas. Many of these works were performed in different versions and under different titles, in German, French and sometimes other languages. Some survive, some are lost. All but Martha have fallen into obscurity, and even Martha is not nearly as often performed now as it was a century ago, though it is still sometimes staged, and there have been a number of attempts to revive other Flotow works (including Alessandro Stradella) during recent years.

The best-known single piece by Flotow is probably "Ach! so fromm, ach! so traut". It has been much recorded in its Italian version, "M’apparì tutt’amor".

Ballets
CompletionTitleLengthPremièreLibrettoChoreography
1844Lady Henriette ou "La servante de Greenwich";
second act by Friedrich Burgmüller; third act by Edouard Deldevez		 3 acts21 February 1844, Paris, OpéraJules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges, after the Vaudeville La Comtesse d'EgmontJoseph Mazilier
1856Die Libelle ("La demoiselle" or "Le papillon" or "Dolores")2 acts1856, Bad Doberan in SchwerinJohann Christian Markwort 
1858Die Gruppe der Thetis 18 August 1858, SchwerinJohann Christian Markwort 
1861Der Tannkönig, ein Weihnachtsmärchen 22 December 1861, SchwerinEduard Hobein 

Notes
  1. Chisholm 1911, p. 547.

References
  • Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Flotow, Friedrich Ferdinand Adolf von" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 547–548.
  • Cohen, Peter (1992), "Flotow, Friedrich" in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7
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