Paul Lincke’s “Frau Luna” – A Radio Recording from Cologne on CPO
There is no real shortage of Frau Luna recordings, the Paul Lincke classic from 1899 has always worked well as
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“Das ist die Berliner Luft”: Paul Lincke Overtures Volume 1
This newly issued 2020 recording from CPO has rarely been out of my CD player since it arrived: it is
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Berlin’s “Theater des Volkes”: The Dark Side of Germany’s Entertainment Industry
The history of Berliner Großes Schauspielhaus – birthplace of the great 1920s Eric Charell revues and especially of Im weißen
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“Offenbach, Musicien Européen” Or, Put Away the Sellotape
In the summer of 2019 researchers from all around the world gathered for a double conference in Cologne and Paris,
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First Full Recording of Suppé’s “Reise um die Erde in 80 Tagen“ on Naxos
In recent years we have seen a splendid series of recordings brought forth – in England, France, Italy – of
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“Copyists and Pirates”: Jacobo Kaufmann’s Critique of Recent Offenbach Publications
The latest edition of The Jacques Offenbach Society Newsletter includes a letter from Jacobo Kaufmann to editor Donald Fox. Its
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“The Pleasure Garden“: The LGBT History of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens as a Musical
Back in 2004, the Wien Museum presented the exhibition Alt-Wien: Die Stadt, die niemals war. It examined the phenomenon that
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Ernst Theis Conducts “Tonfilmschlager” from Nazi Times
“Can music be innocent?“ That‘s the first sentence in the booklet to this new CD of the Münchner Rundfunkorchester and
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Opera Rara Set to Record Offenbach’s “La Princesse de Trébizonde”
The British record label Opera Rara returns to the works of Jacques Offenbach – for the first time since they
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Fly Me To The Moon: Kurt Kurt Gänzl reviews the new “Le Voyage dans la lune”
A new recording from Bru Zane? After their tremendous job with La Fille de Madame Angot, I am all agog.
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A Trip Back To The 1920s: Ben Zimmermann’s “Höchste Eisenbahn“ Album
This CD entitled Höchste Eisenbahn by actor Ben Zimmermann and pianist Mark McNeill is called a „Doku Revue der Goldenen
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“America in the French Imaginary” – A New Book That Sadly Forgets Operetta
“Music in Society and Culture” 1789-1914 we are informed on the cover of this new book. And then: “Following the
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Enrique Mejías García’s New Book “Offenbach, Composer of Zarzuelas”
Here’s great news: a new book on Offenbach is out! It is entitled Offenbach, Composer of Zarzuelas and has been
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“Zauber der Bohème” at New York’s Austrian Cultural Forum
Back in 2020, I covered a press conference announcing the launch of an exhibit in Vienna under the auspices of
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42nd Street: The First Complete Recording
I have just been on a very, very happy trip down memory boulevard. For a couple of years of my
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Exploring Evelin Förster’s New Book Project: German Illustrated Sheet Music Covers as a Mirror of Society
Vamps, policemen, harem dancers, waiters, dandies, grotesque dancing couples, and film stars populate the covers of early twentieth century sheet
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Hanns Eisler: Couplets & Ballads With The Amazing HK Gruber
At first glance, Hanns Eisler doesn’t have much to do with operetta. But if you look closer, the very first
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Declaration of Bankruptcy? “L’Auberge du Cheval blanc” from the Opéra de Lausanne
Encountering Im weißen Rössl in its French version can be a joy, as anyone knows who has ever heard Bourvil
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Kurt Gänzl’s “The Musical: A Concise History” Revisited & Revised
The original edition of Kurt Gänzl’s The Musical came out in 1997, as a “Concise History” published by Northeastern University
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Operetten-Gesamtaufnahmen der letzten zehn Jahre: Ein Überblick
Operette hat Konjunktur. In den letzten Jahren sind (meist beim Label cpo) rund zwei Dutzend Aufnahmen auf CD erschienen, meist
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Rediscovering Marcel Lattès’ Swing Operetta “Le Diable à Paris” (1927)
I knew that I should enjoy this 1927 French operetta directly after I read Richard Traubner’s dismissal of Marcel Lattès
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Homage to Carl Michael Ziehrer: The Vienna Philharmonic New Year’s Concert 2022
It’s only a few days now, and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra will be at their exercise again. Their 1 January
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“From Gold to Silver”: Ziehrer’s Life & Musical Works
Carl Michael Ziehrer (1843-1922) and his music have always been overshadowed by the achievements of the Strauss dynasty, and this
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Lehár’s “Giuditta” As A Mash-Up With Ödön von Horváth’s “Sladek, Or: The Black Army”
The premiere of the new production of Lehár’s last operetta Giuditta is coming up at Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich. It’s
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Glitter And Be Gay: Marin Alsop’s New “Candide“ From London
Finding the best of all possible Candide recordings is hard. Because Leonard Bernstein’s eclectic work from 1956 – his only
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A New “Porgy & Bess” With Marin Alsop And Angel Blue
Another Porgy and Bess recording? Pentanone Classics has released highlights conducted by Marin Alsop, taken from a live concert in
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Are We Finally Rediscovering Victor Hollaender?
No, the orientalist silent film orgy Sumurun, filmed in the Ufa studios in Berlin-Tempelhof in 1920, doesn’t need to be
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“When the Music Stopped…Willy Rosen’s Holocaust”: A New Book By Casey J. Hayes
He was Weimar Germany’s answer to Barry Manilow, the most popular entertainer and songwriter of his generation, writing hit after
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An 18th Century Operetta Composer? First Recording Of Charles Dibdin’s “The Wags”
Charles Dibdin is often thought of, assuming he is thought of at all, as one of the links between the
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Kurt Gänzl’s “Gilbert and Sullivan: The Players and the Plays”
I feel very honoured and flattered to have been asked to write about the most important book to be written
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“La Fille de Madame Angot” On Palazzetto Bru Zane: A Recording Of Reference From Now On
Once upon a time, not so very long ago, a young lady radio or TV ‘interviewer’ asked me: what was
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One Singular Sensation? Hahn’s “Ciboulette” Re-Released On DVD By Naxos
It’s back again: the performance of Reynaldo Hahn’s Ciboulette, filmed at Opéra Comique in February 2013, has been re-released on
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Peter Oliver Loew über Polen in der deutschsprachigen Operette
2013 wurde dem Slawisten und Historiker Peter Oliver Loew (er ist seit 2019 Direktor des Deutschen Polen-Instituts Darmstadt und seit
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The First Truly “Complete” Recording Of Kálmán’s “Gräfin Mariza” On CPO
Did it really take until 2021 for a complete Countess Mariza recording to come out? Of course, there have been
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Fancy A Slice Of Gänzl? “Gilbert & Sullivan: The Players And The Plays”
I’m the oldest standing member of the Operetta Research Center. I was one of the fairies who presided at its
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Paul O’Montis: Biography Of A “Vortragskünstler” Adored By Elderly Ladies & Young Gentlemen
Most operetta fans will know Paul O’Montis because he made a famous recording of “Was kann der Sigismund dafür, dass
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