Oldal 87 [87]
OCR
ANDRÁS MIKÓ AND GYÖRGY SZÉKELY: THE COUNT OF LUXEMBOURG, 1952 guoting his argumentation because, on the one hand, it makes us understand the socio-political reading of Lehar’s operetta, following in Brecht’s footsteps unintentionally. On the other hand, it gives a fine example of the (narrowminded yet impressive) theoretical integrity of the work taking place in the nationalized Operetta Theatre. According to Székely, “The Count of Luxembourg is about two young people in love and unwilling to ruin their lives because of bad and dishonest social conventions”. Love becomes a “revolutionary force [and it has become such] since the emergence of capitalism” because of this unwillingness.*” In order to prove this, Székely quotes Engels, who claims that “the total freedom to marry [...] can only prevail in general, if the abolishment of capitalist production and the conditions of ownership it has created results in the elimination of the economic side aspects which still have such a huge influence on the choice of a partner”.?” Following this thesis, Székely claims that “the first half of the play is about removing marital barriers commercially and about the strange, conflicting improvement and equalization of an unequal marriage according to class considerations. Even at that time, the freedom of love meant a certain opposition, a revolution.”*”” So René and Angéle have to fight their own class struggle, but until they fall in love, until they come face to face with each other, they behave in the same way as the rest of the society around them. They are both involved in pretty dirty deals; [Angéle] by marriage of convenience and [René] by marrying for money. They are part of, and no better part of the society in which they live. However, from the moment they see each other face to face and fall in love and love decides their fate, they are confronted with the environment around them. They break the rules of convention, habit and generally accepted manners, and fight for their own freedom in a revolutionary way.*” Love becomes a factor of social transformation, making the second finale rather scandalous, “when these two people [...] step out of the usual frames and set out freely”.*”? Székely’s conclusion, namely that René and Angéle “fight for their freedom in this way”,**° suggests the lofty subject of freedom and freedom struggle, underscoring the aspirations of the Operetta Theatre from Students of Vienna on. 374 Tbid., 23. 375 Tbid. 376 Tbid., 24. 377 Tbid., 25. 378 Tbid. 379 Tbid., 31. 380 Tbid.
