Frau Haydn in Trouble ~ Comic Opera

Frau Haydn in Trouble is a fictional comic opera loosely based on the life of Mrs. Haydn, against the backdrop of the classist society of Imperial Vienna, and in contrast to her husband’s fame. The structure of the title carries a reference to highbrow works such as Euripides' Iphigenia in Aulis and the like. In my mind, it also carries a reference to Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti. References or not, by centering on the much-maligned Frau Haydn, in a humorous vein, the opera will bring to the fore the indignities and horror stories that made up the lives of the members of the lower classes- court musicians included, while poking fun at society, and especially the so-called nobility.  

The opera takes a kind hearted look at the central character, a woman ahead of her times, full of contradictions, striving to make her mark amid an oppressive society. Frau Haydn tries her best but can not seem to get a break.  Her timing is off; her ideas are too wild for the times.  Always a day late and a dollar short, Frau Haydn makes the right move at the wrong time, ending up in utter frustration-totally misunderstood. But in spite of all her foibles, we empathize with her. She ends up being a likable antihero, because in a way she reminds us of our own shortcomings. 

Daniel Daroca.