The Merry Wives of Windsor (opera)

The Merry Wives of Windsor (in German: Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor) is an opera in three acts by Otto Nicolai to a German libretto by Salomon Hermann Mosenthal based on the play The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare.

The opera is a Singspiel, containing much spoken dialogue between distinct musical numbers. The opera remains popular in Germany, and the overture is sometimes heard in concert in other countries.

Otto Nicolai composed the music from 1845 to 1849. He had previously achieved great success with a few Italian operas, but this opera was to become his masterpiece in the German language. The composer himself made some changes to the libretto.

It was difficult at first to find a stage that was willing to mount the opera, but following the premiere at the Konigliches Opernhaus (Royal Opera House, now Berlin State Opera) in Berlin on 9 March 1849 under the baton of the composer, it achieved great success and its popularity continues to this day. Though the libretto and the dramaturgy may seem old-fashioned to today's audiences, the music is of such high quality that the work is nevertheless performed with increasing regularity.

23 performances of four productions were planned in four German cities between March and July 2012.

The Overture to The Merry Wives of Windsor inspired the short musical film, Overture to The Merry Wives of Windsor. Edwin Lemare also made a transcription for organ. In addition, Peter Richard Conte transcribed the score for the Wanamaker Organ.

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