Johann Strauss’s «The Gypsy Baron» is one of the composer’s most famous operettas, second only to «The Bat.» It premiered on October 24, 1885, at the An der Wien Theater in Vienna. The libretto by Ignaz Schnitzer is based on Mór Jókai’s novella «Szaffi.» The plot tells the story of a young exile, Sándor Barinkay, who returns to his homeland, becomes the leader of a gypsy camp, and falls in love with the beautiful Saffi, who turns out to be the daughter of a Turkish pasha. The operetta is based on Hungarian and gypsy melodies, as well as the rhythms of waltz, polka, march, and czardas. The main themes of the work are human dignity, victorious love, and the pursuit of freedom.
The Gypsy Baron
