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
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“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
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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
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“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
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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
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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
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“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
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“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 –
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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:
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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
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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
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“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
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Italian Sex Spectacles: Operettas By Carlo Lombardo & Co.
Half the world loves Italian music, whether it’s popular songs of the „Volare“ type or operas from Rossini to Verdi
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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.
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“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,
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“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
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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
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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
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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
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“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
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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
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