The Merry Wives of Windsor (opera)
| Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor | |
|---|---|
| Singspiel by Otto Nicolai | |
The composer in 1842 | |
| Translation | The Merry Wives of Windsor |
| Librettist | Salomon Hermann Mosenthal |
| Language | German |
| Based on | The Merry Wives of Windsor by Shakespeare |
| Premiere | |
Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, or The Merry Wives of Windsor, is an 1849 opera in three acts by Otto Nicolai to a German libretto by Salomon Hermann Mosenthal based on Shakespeare's play. Published as a comical-fantastical work in three acts with dance (komisch-phantastische Oper in 3 Akten mit Tanz), its structure is musical numbers linked by spoken dialogue, harkening back to the then-outmoded Singspiel format. It remains popular in Germany and Austria and its overture is sometimes heard in concert in other countries.