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,
read moreMedia
“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.
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
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
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
“Horrible Prettiness or Satanic Subversiveness”?
“Gender Studies” are something on everyone’s lips these days. Yet, somewhat surprisingly, the operetta world has hardly taken note of
read more
Going Up? The Music of Louis Hirsch
Never heard of Louis Hirsch (1881–1924) and his Broadway operettas? Well, we can change that easily. Because our friends at
read more
Essays On Kurt Weill’s Broadway Operetta
Here it is, fresh off the press: A German language collection of texts dealing with Kurt Weill’s only “operetta”, The
read more
Ivor Novello’s “Valley of Song” on CD
After a sell-out show in January 2014 by Tarquin Productions, the WestEnders are delighted to announce the launch of the original
read more
Piotr Beczala’s Tribute CD to Richard Tauber
There are two truly stunning moments on this new disc by tenor Piotr Beczala devoted to Richard Tauber. And not
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
One Touch of Venus: A Broadway Operetta
Yes, I know. Kurt Weill’s One Touch of Venus is generally considered a classic Broadway musical. And rightly so. Still,
read more
Cheyenne Jackson: A New Kind of Operetta Hero?
It doesn’t happy very often that a recording takes my breath away. But the new West Side Story from San Francisco—of
read more
Emily Soldene: In Search of a Singer
I don’t suppose the name means very much nowadays to anyone but a handful of music and theatre historians. Emily
read more
“Made in Berlin”: Otto Schneidereit Revisited
There’s a lot of talk, again, these days about „Operetta Made In Berlin”—how it differs from other German language types
read more
Lohengrin Meets Lloyd Webber
First off: I actually like Klaus Florian Vogt. Hearting him as Lohengrin and Stolzing in Wagner’s operas is a unique
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
“Madame Pompadour”: Battle of the Divas
Needless to say, casting Leo Fall’s Madame Pompadour is not an easy task. Because there’s the overwhelming shadow of Fritzi
read more
MENSCHENsKIND: The Songs of Friedrich Holländer
Needless to say, German operetta fans already know her: the actress Dagmar Manzel dazzled audiences at Berlin’s Deutsches Schauspielhaus years
read more
Rodgers & Hart’s ‘Native Operetta’: A New “Dearest Enemy” Cast Album
Aye, you might very well ask: why is a recording of Rodgers & Hart’s “American Musical Comedy” Dearest Enemy coming
read more
Cross-Dressing in Operetta: A New Catalogue from Munich
Now, here’s a topic for a book publication to make our operetta hearts beat faster: Ein Bild von einem Mann
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
Maybe Art Imitates Arabs: “The Road to Qatar”
It all began with an email. “We want you write musical … how much?” Was my Spam blocker set on
read more
Gender, Genre & Parody
Quite simply put, this is the best book on Gilbert & Sullivan that I have come across. Not in a
read more
Burning to Sing: Gustave Kerker’s Operetta Rediscovered
It’s good to know that German operetta aficionados are busy rediscovering gems from the vaults of the genre’s history. And,
read more
Kálmán Gala from Dresden: Happy New Year
So here it is, the Emmerich Kálmán gala from Dresden’s Semperoper on CD. Christian Thielemann is conducting the forces of
read more
Operetten Over The Rainbow
Nacktes Fleisch, Frivolitäten, feminin-lamboyante Männer, »blasende Hirten«, selbstbewusste Frauen – die Operetten der 1920er und 1930er Jahre haben mit dem
read more
Das deutschsprachige Operettenlibretto: Figuren, Stoffe, Dramaturgie
2013 began with some major new publications. One is Heike Quissek’s PhD Das deutschsprachige Operettenlibretto: Figuren, Stoffe, Dramaturgie, written at
read more
“The Rose of Stambul” from the Chicago Folks Operetta
Of course, there have been many recordings of operetta in English before. There’s the famous Decca series featuring Kitty Carlisle,
read more
The Irish Have a Great Day Tonight: “Eileen” on New World Records
The Irish are always good for a song. Or so the saying goes. And Dublin-born Victor Herbert’s only “Irish” themed
read more
“Welt der Operette: Glamour, Stars und Showbusiness”
This big and lavishly illustrated coffee table book appears as a companion to an exhibition at the Österreichischer Theatermuseum in
read more
New Biography of Carl Millöcker – in English and German
One could call it revolutionary and decidedly up to date: a Viennese operetta biography published in English and (!) German,
read more
“Die Stumme Serenade”: Schmalz & Nostalgie
Er kan niet genoeg lof over de kleine labels afgestoken worden. Het is aan hen te danken dat wij eindelijk
read more
Welt der Operette: Glamour, Stars und Showbusiness
To coincide with the new exhibition at the Theater Museum Wien, the publishing house Brandstätter has released a dazzling new
read more
Hermann Leopoldi: The Complete Songs in Two Volumes
It’s a mile stone in operetta publishing, you might say: the Wiener Volksliederwerk (WVW) in cooperation with a whole list
read more