When  the  court  opera  director  Wilhelm  Jahn  commissioned  Johann
Strauss  Jr  to  write  a  ‘genuine’  opera,  the  Waltz  King  readily  accepted.
The  result  was  Ritter  Pásmán,  his  only  stage  work  to  step  into  the  more
exclusive  genre  of  opera,  even  though  the  plot  is  reminiscent  of  the
world  of  operetta.  Based  on  the  narrative  poem  Pázmán  lovag  by  the
Hungarian  writer  János  Aranyi  (1817–1882),  it  deals  with  jealousy  and
reciprocity. The comic opera’s premiere at the Vienna Court Opera on
New  Year’s  Day  1892  was  a  major  society  event,  but  its  artistic  success
lagged somewhat behind; the reviewers of the premiere gave it a cool
reception, even though they hailed the ballet music at the beginning of
Act III as an absolute masterpiece. (It’s worth noting that this was the first
time a cimbalom had been used in the court opera orchestra).

This is a live recording of a performance at the Vienna Musikverein on 27
October 1975, with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra directed
by Heinz Wallberg. The cast of singers includes Eberhard Waechter (Ritter
Pásmán),  Sona  Ghazarian  (Queen),  Josef  Hopfwieser  (Hungarian  King)
and  Truedeliese  Schmidt  (Eva).  The  recording  includes  the  complete
ballet music as bonus tracks, performed by the Slovac State Philharmonic
Orchestra under the baton of Alfred Walter.