“Die schöne Helena” As A WW2 Drama Of Homosexuality
Considering that Offenbach’s La belle Hélène recently received two extremely “gay” interpretations at the opera houses of Hamburg and Berlin
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“Das Verdächtige Saxophon”: Albrecht Dümling’s Classic Re-Published
Finally: Albrecht Dümling’s great big book on music and operetta in Nazi times, Das verdächtige Saxophon, has been re-published. After
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Is There An Ideal “La Belle Hélène” Recording – With Sex Appeal?
In early 2015, the Komische Oper presented their very first Operetta Symposium, dealing with the “kinky” side of the genre
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“The Auto Race” And Other Tuned-Up Operettas From Early Broadway Days
If you wish to experience operetta off the beaten track, then look no further than this brand new CD with
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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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Happy New Year: Josef Strauss Meets Offenbach For A Quadrille Ride
If you know your operetta history, you will be aware of the fact that Johann Strauss Jr. was the most
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The Man Behind “Die Fledermaus”: New Biography of Richard Genée
As the author of Die Fledermaus (1874) and a whole series of other famous Strauss operettas, Richard Genée is not
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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 New German “Fiddler On The Roof” On CD
This past summer of 2014, Austria’s Mörbisch Lake Festival departed somewhat from its traditional programming of German operetta to present
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Offenbach’s Bavarian Romp “Fantasio” – Finally On Disc And Complete
Offenbach aficionados may rejoice. Here is the first complete recording of his opéra comique in 3 acts, 4 tableaux, Fantasio.
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Popular Musical Theatre In London And Berlin: 1890 To 1939
Here is something really yummy: a collection of essays dealing with various aspects of popular musical theater at the beginning
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“Inszenierte Moderne”: A New Study About Operetta, Musical Comedy And Revue
One of the most interesting young German scholars in the field of operetta research and examining the entertainment industry, Tobias
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What Can You Expect From Nikolaus Harnoncourt Conducting Johann Strauss Jr.?
Yes, we all know that conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt is one of the pioneers of the Early Music Movement. Together with
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Vera Kálmán: “Tonkunst” Issue Dedicated to Composer’s Widows
Here it is: the latest issue of Die Tonkunst. After a recent Bluebeard special that included a big essay on
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“Gasparone”: Wenn nur die Plattenfirma großes Lob verdient
Das CD-Label cpo und sein Executive Producer Burkhard Schmilgun haben eine neue Aufnahme von Carl Millöckers zweiter Erfolgsoperette Gasparone vorgelegt
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Two New Ábrahám Biographies
You could call it the battle of the biographers. Who will be first? Who will be better? Who will have
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Who Will Be The Savior of Operetta in the 21st Century: Volker Klotz Or Barrie Kosky?
This week-end, a new production of Offenbach’s La belle Hélène premieres at the Komische Oper Berlin. Its director, Barrie Kosky,
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Operetta Goddess of the Future: Lady Gaga
You have to hand it to the Americans. They certainly know how to make their classics sound fresh and funky,
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Galgenhumor: An Interview About Nostalgia & World War 1
Two researchers from the Austrian Cabaret Archive (ÖKA), Iris Fink and Hans Veigl, have just published a 275 page book
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A Definitive Richard Tauber Biography?
You could have been fooled into thinking there cannot possibly be anything new to say on the topic of Richard
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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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A Vienna Heart in the Star-Spangled Banner: Bruno Granichstaedten
The Austrian music historian, film director and author Ernst Kaufmann has written a biography of his uncle – composer Bruno
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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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Deep Throat: Jonas Kaufmann Sings 1920s Operetta
When a PR-savvy superstar of the Jonas Kaufmann caliber issues a “cross-over“ album filled with operetta goodies, people take notice.
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“In Holly-Holly-Hollywood”: Zarah Leander in “Axel an der Himmeltür” 1936 and 1958
It might come as a bit of a surprise to operetta fans of today to find a so-called “Viennese Operetta”,
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Let the Facts Speak for Themselves: A Novel Tauber Biography
Martin Sollfrank has written an exhaustive, 568 page biographical documentation entitled Musik war sein Leben: Richard Tauber – Weltstar des
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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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Vienna’s Merry Apocalypse
A little book dealing with the entertainment industry during the Great War: Galgenhumor. Kleine Kunst im Großen Krieg. Ein Beitrag
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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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The Cologne Collection: The Old EMI-Series Re-Released
It is often hugely fascinating to see how and where classic operetta recordings get recycled. Take for example the EMI
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Aspects of “Barbe-bleue”: Essays on Musical Theater Versions of the Bluebeard Legend
Here’s a brand-new bundle of essays on musical theater version of the Bluebeard legend, published in a special edition of
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Fritzi Massary Revisited: An Interview With Her New Biographer
Take a deep breath and prepare yourself: there will be – finally – a new and English language biography of
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Stefan Frey’s Biography of Emmerich Kálmán – in English
In 2003, Henschel Verlag of Berlin published Unter Tränen lachen, a German-language “operetta biography” of composer Emmerich Kálmán. The author,
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“The Funny He-She Ladies”: A New Book on Cross-Dressing in London
There is a new book by Neil McKenna about “Two Young Men Who Shocked Victorian England“ entitled Fanny & Stella.
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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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Did Leo Fall Suffer From Serious Drug Addiction?
It’s always a good time to pay attention to Leo Fall (1873-1925) because his operettas – Der fidele Bauer, Die
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