Franz Lehár (1870-1948) found remarkably expressive and brilliantly colorful sounds for the drama and romantic moods of this unique topic. The style was decisively influenced by the familiar cadence of Hungarian gypsy music in the composer’s native country. This is not only evidenced by the csárdás rhythms or the inclusion of the cymbalom in the arrangement, but above all by the many pronouncedly melancholy hues of the melody and harmony produced by the use of minor keys. After “The Merry Widow” and “The Count of Luxembourg”, “Gipsy Love” is Franz Lehár’s third most successful operetta. After its triumphant Vienna premiere in 1910, it was performed, for example, at the Empire Theater in Darjeeling, at the foot of the Himalayas! The location shots in our production were filmed in Austria’s Helenental and Vienna Woods.
Der Zarewitsch
With his operetta “Der Zarewitsch” (The Czarevitch), premiered in 1927, Franz Lehár was able to repeat the success of “Paganini” (world premiere in 1925), his first large operetta created especially for Richard Tauber. Arthur Maria Rabenalt’s stylish television adaptation, with icon-covered walls, a birch forest and perhaps the most beautiful romantic duets of all of Lehár’s operettas, is not only a feast for the eyes but for the ears as well. Teresa Stratas and Wieslaw Ochman make a simply enchanting couple through their singing, appearance and acting talent.
Der Graf von Luxemburg
With its charmingly romantic theme, effective stage action and abundance of spirited and delicate moods, this Parisian-flavorerd libretto gave Maestro Lehár every opportunity to display his talent. Lehár completed this operetta in only three weeks in 1909 and at first referred to it himself as “a slovenly piece of work”. Once again, however, impulsiveness and spontaneity proved to be the ingredients of an outright success. “The Count of Luxembourg” is – with regard to its inventiveness, originality and instrumental coloring – on a par with Lehár’s other international successes.
Paganini
With “Paganini” (Vienna, 1925), his 25th stage work, Franz Lehár began an impressive new creative period that was intimately linked to his collaboration with the famous tenor Richard Tauber. The rejuvenation of Lehár’s creative powers enabled him to reach new artistic heights. The enormous success achieved by these works prove how right he was in not merely trying to make people laugh, but also to provide them with emotionally moving situations. One of the most beautiful melodies in the work is “Gern hab’ ich die Frau’n geküsst”, which summarizes Paganini’s entire world and reflects the composer’s inimitable grace and charm.
Giuditta
Franz Lehár (1870-1948) was incontestably one of the foremost masters of the operetta. He abounded in creative ideas, was a supreme craftsman, a temperamental musician whose artistry flowed in his blood, and a dramatist who succeeded in breathing genuine life into the hackneyed figures of the operetta genre. His most popular operettas were premiered between 1925 and 1929. These were the works whose wealth of ideas and emotionally florid, sometimes even sentimental, melodies brought them greater fame than the brilliant early works such as “The Count of Luxembourg” (1909) and “Gypsy Love” (1910) – save for “The Merry Widow” (1905), his most popular operetta of all. The works of this second creative period were also conceived with one particular singer in mind: Richard Tauber. The most typical works of this period are “Paganini” (1925), “The Czarevitch” (1927), “Friederike” (1928) and “Das Land des Lächelns” (1929). “Giuditta”, Lehár’s last operetta, was premiered at the Vienna State Opera in 1934 under the musical direction of the composer and with Richard Tauber in the tenor role of Octavio. Franz Lehár, who became known and revered in his later years as the King of the Silver Operetta, died in his villa in Bad Ischl, Austria, on 24 October 1948.
An evening with Lehár
Franz Lehár, the founder of the Silver Operetta Era and creator of unforgettable melodies, would have turned 150 in 2020. He has been a central artistic companion of the Wiener Symphoniker who initiated a fabulous concert with renowned artists including Finnish soprano Camilla Nylund and tenors Piotr Beczala and Michael Schade. Manfred Honeck conducts. The concert at the beautiful Theater an der Wien features Lehár’s most popular pieces from The Merry Widow, The Land Of Smiles, Zarewitsch, The Count Of Luxembourg and Giuditta including the hits Meine Lippen, Sie Küssen So Heiß and Dein Ist Mein Ganzes Herz.
3 Stars in Vienna
Bathed in the warm light of the setting sun, Vienna’s imperial Schönbrunn Palace provides a romantic setting for this open-air concert held shortly before the final match of the Euro 2008 football championship. And shining even more brightly than the palace are the stars of the evening, Anna Netrebko, Rolando Villazón and Plácido Domingo. The trio’s first joint concert, given at Berlin’s Waldbühne for the 2006 football World Cup, was recorded by UNITEL CLASSICA and awarded the Platinum DVD for sales of over 50,000 DVDs in Germany and over 100,000 worldwide. The Schönbrunn concert also broke records with 3.3 million viewers watching the concert live or deferred in Germany and Austria.
Das Land des Lächelns
Franz Lehár’s “Das Land des Lächelns” is one of the best-known operettas of all time. For this new production Piotr Beczala, a world star who cultivates the tradition of the famous Tauber style like no other, returned to the Opernhaus Zürich as Sou-Chong. He has an equal partner in Julia Kleiter, who played the role of Lisa. Fabio Luisi and Andreas Homoki also know that the genre of operetta requires particular care – which is why they have assumed personal responsibility for this production. Homoki lets the plot take place in a Paris Variététheater from the 1920s, complete with show staircase and heavy curtains. To emphasize the operatic elements, he purged the piece, cutting several secondary roles and shortening dialogues. “Julia Kleiter as Lisa and Piotr Beczala as Sou-Chong – unhappy lovers, but vocally a dream couple!” SRF
Jonas Kaufmann – You Mean The World To Me
“You are my Heart’s Delight”, “My Song Goes Round the World”, “My Happiness that Remained” – these evergreens are the musical expression of one of the most artistically rich and thrilling eras in European cultural history: Berlin during the last years of the Weimar Republic. Together with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin under the guidance of Jochen Rieder, Jonas Kaufmann, one of the most sought-after tenors of our time brings these hit numbers alive in the legendary recording studios of the Funkhaus Berlin, Nalepastraße. Also available: Documentary “You Mean The World To Me” (52′), Cat.No. 9160
Jonas Kaufmann – My Vienna
My Vienna is a deeply personal tribute to the world-famous melodies from the birthplace of waltz and operetta. Jonas Kaufmann has always had a special rapport with Austria and Vienna. His grandmother had a fondness for the light classics and was happy to sing the evergreens of Johann Strauss, Franz Lehár and Robert Stolz – a nice contrast to his grandfather’s passion for Wagner. As a child, Jonas spent much of his free time on his grandparents’ farm in Tyrol. Austrian television was almost more familiar to him than its German counterpart. Since then he has had a deep love for Viennese songs and operetta. “The music always put me in a good mood”, he recalls. “When I had unlikeable things to do as a student, like cleaning or vacuuming, all I had to do was play Carlos Kleiber’s Fledermaus recording, and in no time at all I had a grin on my face.” Viennese songs and scenes from operettas; music by Johann Strauß, Franz Léhar, Emmerich Kálmán, Robert Stolz, Ralph Benatzky, Jaromir Weinberger, Peter Kreuder and Georg Kreisler.