The Melody of happiness

the Melody of happiness is a Musical comedy adapted of a family biography of Maria Augusta Trapp, the Family of the singers Trapp .

At the beginning, it is about a film made in Germany. It draws the attention of Dramaturge S American which decides to make a Musical comedy of it. With the the United States, its success is such as it will be adapted for the cinema.

Synopsis

The events told in the comedy occur a little before the Second world war in Austria, at the time of the Anschluss.

In Austria, Maria is an young woman who studies to become nun in a convent located at Salzburg. Its convent sends it as controlling of seven children of a widower, the Capitaine Georg Ritter von Trapp. At the beginning, the children are hostile and mischievous. She holds good, all in their teacher the song. Soon, it is used to them of friend and confidante. The captain will éprendra himself of it and the family will flee to escape the Nazis.

Versions

1956, Germany/Austria, film

A first German film, Die Trapp-Familie , is written by Herbert Reinecker and put in scene by Wolfgang Liebeneiner.

Ruth Leuwerik incarnated Maria and Hans Holt was Georg Von Trapp.

This film will know a continuation: Die Trapp-Familie in Amerika , also written by Herbert Reinecker and put in scene by Wolfgang Liebeneiner. (Ruth Leuwerik still incarnates Maria, just like Hans Holt still plays Georg Von Trapp.)

1959, the United States, musical comedy

On the music of Richard Rodgers, the words of Oscar Hammerstein II and a history of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, the part begins with Broadway with the Lunt-Fontanne Theater on November 16th, 1959.

Mary Martin interprets Maria and Theodore Bikel, the captain.

1965, the United States, film

See the Melody of happiness .

1981, London, musical comedy

In 1981, the producer Ross Taylor requests Petula Clark for the main role. At 51 years, it is estimated too old to play the part of Maria in a convincing way, but Ross insists and makes it sign for this new version which will play Apollo Victoria Theater with London. It will be about the greatest sale anticipated in the history of the British theater.

After the first spectacle, Clark receives criticisms eulogistic. Maria Augusta Trapp, presents to the evening of first, describes it like best Maria ever represented. Because of the request without precedent, Petula Clark prolonged its six months initial contract, to bring it to thirteen months. Playing 101 % of the capacity of allowance of the places, the spectacle sells a record number of places during the week from October 26th to 31st 1981, more than any British musical production in the history. This record appears in the Livre Guinness of the records.

It was the first setting in scene to incorporate the two additional songs which Rodgers had composed for the cinematographic version.

1995, Stockholm, musical comedy

In 1995, the Melody of happiness off unloads in the Swedish capital under the original title The Sound Music . The main roles are interpreted there by two large stars Swedish: Carola and Tommy Körberg. Carola obtained, this same year, the gold mask ( guldmasken ) of the best actress for her service.

2005, Vienna, musical comedy

In February 2005, for the first time in Austria, the Volksoper with Vienna presents this musical comedy.

Anecdotes

True Maria was sent to be controlling of only one of the children, not all. The oldest child of the captain was not a girl, but well a boy. The first names of the children were changed (partly to avoid confusion between Maria and the oldest daughter of the captain, who bore the same name). The family von Trapp lived a few years in Austria after the marriage of Maria and the captain in 1927. During their escape, they took refuge firstly in Italy, and not in Suisse.

The comedy created several false ideas on Austria. For example, several people believe that the song Edelweiss was the national anthem. This song is almost unknown in Austria.

The order of several songs is different between the play and the film the Melody from happiness . For example, My Favorite Things is sung with the convent. Some songs were modified. How Can Coils Survives? , one of the many waltz played festival, was reduced to an instrumental part in the part. Four lines of the prelude to the song The Sound off Music ( My day in the hills has like to year end, I know… ), interpreted by Mary Martin in the part and available out of CD, is reduced to an instrumental allusion to the beginning of film, when the film “zoome” on Julie Andrews in the hills at the beginning of film. The musician of jazz John Coltrane adopted the air My Favorite Things like his air of signature. Strongly modified, he is played with a Saxophone soprano, in which the initial topic ( Raindrops one pink and whiskers one kittens… ) is repeated on several occasions. The group The New Swing Sextet made of it a very beautiful version Latin jazz with a solo of Xylophone.

In the film Dancer in the Dark of Lars von Trier (October 2000), Björk sings its favorite version of My Things . She also repeats the Maria role there in a musical comedy of a producer amateur.

In 2006, Gwen Stefani takes again to the tyrolienne " lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo !" musical comedy.

See too

the Inn of the Horse-White ( The White Horse Inn ) is another musical comedy which offers a somewhat deformed image, so much last that presents, of Austria.

External bonds

Site of an admiror

Simple: The Sound off Music

Random links: