Die schöne Galathee

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Die schöne Galathee (The Beautiful Galatea) is an operetta in two acts by Franz von Suppé to a German libretto by the composer and Poly Henrion. First performance: Carl-Theather, Vienna, 1865.

In the early 1860s, French operettas by Jacques Offenbach were first presented in Vienna. Franz von Suppé was obliged to compete with them by taking the time-honored traditions of Vienna and combining it with the new style of Offenbach. Die schöne Galathee was Franz von Suppé's first critical success.

[edit] Plot

The sculptor Pygmalion has fallen madly in love with his statue of Galathée. Therefore he does not want to sell the statue to a patron of the arts, Mydas, and asks Venus, the goddess of the love, to breathe life into the statue. Venus grants him the request and Galathée comes to life. However, Galathée turns out to be a very independent-minded creature. She is unfaithful to Pygmalion with his servant Ganymed (because he is much more pleasing to her than Pygmalion) and does not reject Mydas, who offers her jewelry. When Pygmalion catches Galathée in a compromising situation, he implores Venus to turn her back into stone. The jewerly offered by Midas is also turned to stone, but the whole statue is sold to him.