Paroli

With Paroli (originally entitled Frau Denise), a variation on the Figaro theme of the amorous misadventures of a duped, married nobleman set near Paris during the late 18th c., Leo Fall (1873-1925) succeeded in producing a captivating one-act chamber play that was neither operetta nor opera even though it does have its share of reminiscences of fairy-tale operas, stylistic quotations of the rococo, discreet leitmotivic technique, and polished ensemble pieces. A prodigious operetta composer, Leo Fall was considered a true rival to Franz Lehár at the turn of the 20th c.