Offenbach On Arte TV: “Orphée aux enfers” From Salzburg and “Gerolstein” From Cologne
You might wonder whether they are serious – ‘them’ being the French-German Kultursender arte. They are celebrating the 200th birthday
read moreOn Screen
Ábrahám’s “Roxy und ihr Wunderteam” At Komische Oper Berlin: Watch The Live-Stream
At Komische Oper Berlin, Paul Ábrahám’s ‘last’ operetta premiered in a new production by Stefan Huber, with a newly arranged
read more
“Oh… Rosalinda!”: The Movie Version of “Die Fledermaus” With Adolf Wohlbrück On DVD
Finally – and that’s really the only appropriate word for it: finally the updated 1950s movie version of Die Fledermaus,
read more
Jonas Kaufmann And Franz Welser-Möst Present “Die Fledermaus” In Dresden
Does the world really need another Fledermaus recording? Absolutely, yes! There are many glorious versions available already with singularly good
read more
Berlin Babylon. Or: A New “Die Tote Stadt” at Komische Oper By Robert Carson
Is Korngold’s 1920 psycho thriller Die tote Stadt an operetta? Obviously not, but there are various links to the genre,
read more
Updating “Die Csardasfürstin” For Vienna: Peter Lund’s New Volksoper Production
It can be exciting to re-imagine and re-interpret beloved shows: we are witnessing this, again and again, in modern musical
read more
Andreas Homoki’s “Land des Lächelns” From Zurich: Starring Piotr Beczala
Everyone knows that Lehár had a not-so-secret longing for the ‘grand operatic’ and devoted the latter part of his long
read more
Message In A Bottle? YouTube As Global Popular Home-Archive For Operetta
In a 2018 essay entitled Das Webvideo als Flaschenpost, or “the web video as message in a bottle,” Chris Tedjasukmana
read more
The First Sperm-Donor Operetta: How “Axel an der Himmelstür” Became “Liebespremiere” In 1943
The Hollywood spoof Axel an der Himmelstür, with music by Ralph Benatzky, premiered at the Theater an der Wien in
read more
“Ritter Blaubart” At Komische Oper: Stefan Herheim’s Varieté Vanitas
Yes, it was a good idea to bring back Offenbach’s murderous Barbe-Bleue to Berlin at Komische Oper where, you will
read more
E. A. Dupont’s “Das alte Gesetz”. Or: What #MeToo Has To Do With Operetta And Offenbach
When we talk about popular musical theater our modern focus is mostly on the ‘artistic’ values of individual shows, e.g.
read more
Jerome Kern’s “Have A Heart” From The Ohio Light Opera
If we go back in time 100 years and look at Broadway, we witness a change: the US entertainment market
read more
An Overdose Of Nostalgia: The Arthaus TV Operetta Series
Can this really be happening, is Arthaus-Unitel seriously re-issuing all of these old TV operetta adaptations from the early 1970s
read more
Re-Thinking The Concept Of “Escapism”: Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land”
This month, Damien Chazelle’s movie musical La La Land hits theaters in Europe. It is a must-see for anyone interested
read more
Erich von Stroheim’s “The Merry Widow” At The Staatsoperette Dresden
Some years ago I was asked by the former Dutch Film Museum (renamed Eye Film Institute today) to accompany The
read more
“Al cavallino bianco”: The 1954 Italian Film Version Starring Rosy Barsony
As everyone knows, by now, there are many White Horse Inn incarnations out there, and it seems more and more
read more
World Premiere Recording: Kálmán’s “The Little King” From Ohio
Could any musical comedy from 1912 be more up-to-date from today’s war-on-terror-perspective? This is the story of a revolution of
read more
“Les Chevaliers de la Table ronde”: Hervé’s Masterwork Rediscovered
French composer Hervé (1825-1892) has been so overshadowed by his competitor, friend and contemporary Jacques Offenbach that hardly anyone remembers
read more
A Live-Stage “Show Boat” On DVD: For The First Time?
When the San Francisco Opera puts on a show like Show Boat it raises expectations. The company has a chorus
read more
A New “Duchess of Chicago” From Ohio Light Opera
As everyone knows, the Ohio Light Opera is one of the prime performance venues for lesser known works of Emmerich
read more
“Moscow, Cheryomushki”: Remembering Russian Operetta
It’s a grand day in Moscow today, filled with military parades. Perhaps it’s the appropriate time to remember one of
read more
“The Only Music Worth Listening To Is Operetta”? Re-Visiting Elizabeth Taylor
There is always time for a few little curiosities. Take, for example, the movie Cynthia (1947) starring Elizabeth Taylor –
read more
4 For 45: Operetta Movie Classics On Sale At Warner
It is not quite an “indecent proposal,” as in the 1993 Robert Redford movie. But still, it’s a stunning offer:
read more
Reynaldo Hahn’s Magical “Ciboulette” From The Opéra Comique In Paris
Did anyone ever wonder what happened to Rodolfo after Mimi’s death? Truth be told, I did not. At least not
read more
A Pure Joy: “Die Fledermaus” As A Ballet From La Scala
It certainly is a little unusual: a ballet version by Roland Petit of the Johann Strauss classic Die Fledermaus. Filmed
read more
“The Desert Song”: A Glorious Technicolor Version on DVD for the First Time
Sigmund Romberg’s North Africa spectacle The Desert Song “is arguably the best of the group of romantic operettas that found
read more
Italian Sex Spectacles
Half the world loves Italian music, whether it’s popular songs of the „Volare“ type or operas from Rossini to Verdi
read more
Luis Mariano : “L’eternel enchanteur”
The DVD L’eternel enchanteur is no compilation of movie fragments as the titles on the sleeve notes seem to suggest.
read more
“One Touch of Venus” from 1955
In the latest newsletter from the Kurt Weill Foundation, there’s a review of the new One Touch of Venus recording,
read more
“Im weißen Rössl” Revisited
Most Germans are familiar-very familiar-with the White Horse Inn. That’s because the film version starring Peter Alexander and Waltraud Haas
read more
At the Cross-Roads? A New “Bettelsstudent” from Mörbisch on DVD
As of 2013, the Austrian operetta festival in Mörbisch—near the Hungarian border—has a new director. Dagmar Schellenberger replaced Harald Serafin
read more
Her Soldier’s Boy: Young World War Heroes Laid Bare
Yes, it’s memorial time. You’ll remember that 2014 is the 100th anniversary of the start of World War 1. There
read more
Offenbach’s “Orpheus” in Berlin
Am 18. Dezember 1983 erlebte die Deutsche Oper Berlin eine kleine Sternstunde heiteren Musiktheaters. In der dritten Spielzeit seiner Intendanz
read more
“Orpheus in der Unterwelt” Live From Berlin 1984 – The Götz Friedrich Production On DVD
It’s a historic document, of a special kind: when the Deutsche Oper Berlin was the only opera company in good
read more
The Judy Garland Show: Volume 5
If anyone really wants to sample the full power of Judy Garland at her mature, late period best – a
read more