“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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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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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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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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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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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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Laurent Pelly’s “Barbe-bleue” From Opéra de Lyon Arrives On DVD
Laurent Pelly’s celebrated production of Offenbach’s Barbe-bleue from the Opéra de Lyon has finally arrived on DVD. It offers Yann
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A New Dawn In Leipzig? Musikalische Komödie Reopens With A “Gräfin Mariza” Stream
“Another opening, another show…” But not in Philly or Boston, as Cole Porter once rhymed for Kiss Me, Kate, but
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“Inselzauber”: Landesbühne Sachsen Streams Offenbach’s Genderqueer “Island Of Tulipatan”
Due to Corona, Landesbühnen Sachsen in Germany put on two small scale one-acters last year: Offenbach’s The Island of Tulipatan
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“Pardon, Madame”: UdK Students Present Their Version Of “In Stanniolpapier” Online
The students at UdK (Universität der Künste) in Berlin who are training to be stars in the field “Musical/Show” are
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Two Trans Characters Looking For Their True Gender? The Persian Themed Zarzuela “Benamor”
At a time when the Covid-19 situation generates distress in our daily lives, Madrid’s Teatro de la Zarzuela presents a
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Free Streaming: National G&S Company’s “Pirates of Penzance” From Buxton
Having had to cancel the 2020 festival owing to Covid restrictions, this year’s Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, taking place at
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Hervé’s “L’œil crevé” (1867) On YouTube: Live From L’Opéra de Bordeaux
Hervé’s 1867 opéra bouffe L’œil crevé (literally “The pierced eye” or “It hit me right in the eye”) was first
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Lorenzo Viotti: Operetta In His Blood & Conducting “Die lustige Witwe”
Yes, it’s great to see that a younger generation of rising “star” conductors is expressing interest in operetta. More than
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Koskys “Orphée aux enferns”: Swarovski-Genitalien auf der Suche nach der Hölle
Zum Offenbach-Jubiläum 2019 spielten die Salzburger Festspiele erstmals eine Offenbach-Operette und übertrugen die Regie Barrie Kosky. Leider gaben sie ihm
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Tackling A Tauber Role: Sebastian Kohlhepp In “Schön ist die Welt” From The Bavarian State Opera
Okay, Munich has the Gärtnerplatztheater and thus a center of operetta “maintenance” in Germany which competes with Staatsoperette Dresden, Musikalische
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Deflowering Austria: The New Year’s Concert From Vienna Lets Suppé Sparkle
There’s something supremely uplifting about starting the new year with Franz von Suppé’s rousing Fatinitza march as played by the
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March of the Falsettos: Streaming Sasha Regan’s “Pirates of Penzance” From The Palace Theatre
The gimmick with which the West End revival of Sasha Regan’s Pirates of Penzance at the Palace Theatre was recently
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Dumbing Down Operetta: Thomas Macho’s New Lehár Movie On Arte
Obviously, there are many ways to present history, including musical history. At the moment, you can watch the amazing Viola
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“Cox & Box – The Film”: A Christmas Special From The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players
I’m an old conservative. I was ‘a little con-ser-va-tive’ (as opposed to a ‘little li-ber-al’) from the moment I was
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Gorki Theater Streams “Alles Schwindel” With English Subtitles For Christmas
When I saw the news today that Gorki Theater Berlin will stream one of the greatest operetta productions I have
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Here Comes “Blume von Hawaii” As A Live Stream From Komische Oper Berlin
Yeehaw! Komische Oper Berlin has finally awoken from its Sleeping Beauty Corona mode; the company has decided to offer something
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“Vetter aus Dingsda” Premieres Online From Gärtnerplatztheater Munich
Putting on Eduard Künneke’s 1920 hit Der Vetter aus Dingsda seemed like a good idea in times of Corona restrictions:
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A Christmas Marathon Of Operetta Streams: From “Frau Luna” To “Cinderella” And Offenbach
It seems that the operetta scene is finally awaking to the possibilities of the internet as a chance to overcome
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“Sehnsucht 202” On DVD: A Very Queer Version Of Vienna With Fritz Schulz & Paul Kemp
The Austrian newspaper Der Standard has added a forgotten film operetta to their DVD series “Der österreichische Film”, a movie
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The Victor Herbert Renaissance Project Live! Presents “Heart O’Mine” Online
Over the last several months, the beloved New York institution dedicated to all things Victor Herbert, has been streaming video
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When Theaters Stay Closed, Operettas Go Online – Not Just In Budapest
The 2nd wave Corona lockdown has made operetta performances virtually impossible in many countries, and it looks like it might
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Jaromir Weinberger’s Last Weimar Operetta “Frühlingsstürme” On DVD
You might be as baffled by this new release as I am: the recent production of Jaromir Weinberger’s “last Weimar
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Waiting For Offenbach In Times Of A New Corona Lockdown: So What Happens Now?
You could say it’s a bitter irony: ever since theaters in Germany re-opened after the summer, Barrie Kosky has said
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Post-Corona Operetta In Berlin. Or: Here’s Barrie Kosky’s Chancelled “Orpheus In The Underworld”
Has the long waiting finally come to an end, is post-Corona operetta back? After the somewhat problematic “Jewish and Gay”
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Daddy Issues At Ohio Light Opera: How Could “Constructive” Critcism Work With Lehár’s “Cloclo”?
The other day I had a long transatlantic phone conversation with an US-American operetta researcher I greatly admire for his
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Lehár’s “Cloclo” On DVD: A 2018 Live Performance From Ohio Light Opera
A performance of Lehár’s Clo-Clo from the Ohio Light Opera – filmed live at the theater in Wooster – has
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“Cheer Up! British Musical Films 1929-1945” By Adrian Wright
In a preface to Cheer Up! British Musical Films 1929-1945, author Adrian Wright tells us that British Film Studios made
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Lehár’s “Cloclo” (1924) On CD & DVD From The Ischl Festival And Ohio Light Opera
Franz Lehár’s 1924 operetta Cloclo is not one of his more famous titles, and it hasn’t stayed in the repertoire
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Adolf Wohlbrück or Anton Walbrook? A Retrospective In Berlin & A New Book From Vienna
Wohlbrück or Walbrook? Adolf or Anton? Whatever you choose to call him, the actor known under two names was one
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Kálmán’s “Hollandweibchen” Comes To You As “The Little Dutch Girl” On DVD
Kálmán’s 1920 Viennese hit Das Hollandweibchen is a special work that marks a turning point in the composer’s long career.
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