Der Bettelstudent

The little Polish countess Laura has actually turned down Colonel Ollendorf, the proud Saxon Governor of Krakow, in front of everyone! So it's quite understandable that revenge is on the cards – but the plan could backfire, of course, if things go awry ...

Art is something that is so clear that no-one understands it.

Karl Kraus

As a vain womaniser and officer in the occupying army, Corporal Ollendorf is determined to take revenge on Countess Laura for the shame of her refusal of him in public. Authors Friedrich Zell and Richard Genée have him release two rebellious beggar students from the local prison and kit them out as a prince and his secretary on the pretext of giving them their freedom. Naturally, they don't reveal to him that one of them is not really a poor student ...
Since its celebrated premiere in the Theater an der Wien, Vienna, on 6 December 1882, the "Beggar Student" has gained a firm place in the history of operetta. This is not just because of its score which simply overflows with wonderful melodies (just think of "Ich hab kein Geld, bin vogelfrei" for example, or "Ich knüpfte manche zarte Bande" or the famous "Kiss on the Shoulder" waltz which has now almost passed into folklore), but also because of the witty plot, in which the avenging deceiver is in turn deceived, and the rewarding, sharply drawn figures from a time of political and personal conflicts in a Poland oppressed by the Saxons. The comic libretto was based on two French theatrical pieces, the play Fernande (1870) and the opéra comique Le Guitarréro (1841).