Hanns Eisler: Couplets & Ballads With The Amazing HK Gruber
At first glance, Hanns Eisler doesn’t have much to do with operetta. But if you look closer, the very first
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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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Kurt Gänzl’s “The Musical: A Concise History” Revisited & Revised
The original edition of Kurt Gänzl’s The Musical came out in 1997, as a “Concise History” published by Northeastern University
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Operetten-Gesamtaufnahmen der letzten zehn Jahre: Ein Überblick
Operette hat Konjunktur. In den letzten Jahren sind (meist beim Label cpo) rund zwei Dutzend Aufnahmen auf CD erschienen, meist
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Rediscovering Marcel Lattès’ Swing Operetta “Le Diable à Paris” (1927)
I knew that I should enjoy this 1927 French operetta directly after I read Richard Traubner’s dismissal of Marcel Lattès
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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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“From Gold to Silver”: Ziehrer’s Life & Musical Works
Carl Michael Ziehrer (1843-1922) and his music have always been overshadowed by the achievements of the Strauss dynasty, and this
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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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Glitter And Be Gay: Marin Alsop’s New “Candide“ From London
Finding the best of all possible Candide recordings is hard. Because Leonard Bernstein’s eclectic work from 1956 – his only
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A New “Porgy & Bess” With Marin Alsop And Angel Blue
Another Porgy and Bess recording? Pentanone Classics has released highlights conducted by Marin Alsop, taken from a live concert in
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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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“When the Music Stopped…Willy Rosen’s Holocaust”: A New Book By Casey J. Hayes
He was Weimar Germany’s answer to Barry Manilow, the most popular entertainer and songwriter of his generation, writing hit after
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An 18th Century Operetta Composer? First Recording Of Charles Dibdin’s “The Wags”
Charles Dibdin is often thought of, assuming he is thought of at all, as one of the links between the
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Kurt Gänzl’s “Gilbert and Sullivan: The Players and the Plays”
I feel very honoured and flattered to have been asked to write about the most important book to be written
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“La Fille de Madame Angot” On Palazzetto Bru Zane: A Recording Of Reference From Now On
Once upon a time, not so very long ago, a young lady radio or TV ‘interviewer’ asked me: what was
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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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Peter Oliver Loew über Polen in der deutschsprachigen Operette
2013 wurde dem Slawisten und Historiker Peter Oliver Loew (er ist seit 2019 Direktor des Deutschen Polen-Instituts Darmstadt und seit
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The First Truly “Complete” Recording Of Kálmán’s “Gräfin Mariza” On CPO
Did it really take until 2021 for a complete Countess Mariza recording to come out? Of course, there have been
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Fancy A Slice Of Gänzl? “Gilbert & Sullivan: The Players And The Plays”
I’m the oldest standing member of the Operetta Research Center. I was one of the fairies who presided at its
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Paul O’Montis: Biography Of A “Vortragskünstler” Adored By Elderly Ladies & Young Gentlemen
Most operetta fans will know Paul O’Montis because he made a famous recording of “Was kann der Sigismund dafür, dass
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First Full Recording Of Johann Strauss’ “Waldmeister” (1895)
The label Naxos is continuing its Johann Strauss series with a new recording of late operetta Waldmeister, which originally premiered
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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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What A Voyage! Historic “La Fille de Madame Angot” Recordings In English, French & Italian
The sky is blue, the sun is shining, the waves are tinkling on the shore a hundred metres from me
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World Premiere Recording of Ábrahám’s Jazzy 1932 “Ball at the Savoy” In English
Paul Abrahám’s flavorsome jazz operetta, which premiered to great acclaim in 1932 Berlin at Großes Schauspielhaus, only to have its
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The Showtime Series: Historic Recordings Of “Mademoiselle Modiste” & “Naughty Marietta”
After 1945, Decca and American Columbia developed the 33 rpm LP vinyl record to replace the 78 rpm shellac disc.
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“I Would Like To See More Women Writing About Operetta”: Micaela Baranello Discusses Her Book “The Operetta Empire”
The US-American musicologist Micaela Baranello joined the Department of Music at the University of Arkansas in 2017 and has recently
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The Smithsonian’s 1981 Recording Of “Naughty Marietta” On CD For The First Time
Harbinger Records is planning a re-issue – for the first time on CD – of the Smithsonian Institution’s 1981 recording
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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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“The Operetta Empire”: A New Book By Micaela Baranello
Rejoice greatly! There’s another big English language book on operetta, following last year’s Cambridge Companion to Operetta. This new publication
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Johann Strauss’ “Ritter Pásmán”: Live Recording From Vienna 1975 Released On CD
In 1892 Johann Strauss – the world-famous dance music composer and author of numerous operetta classics – managed to premiere
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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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Basic Operetta Opinions: 11 Questions For Ethel Merhaut
Soprano Ethel Merhaut is part of the “young musical scene of Vienna” and likes to “use lots of charme and
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Ethel Merhaut Sings “Bittersweet” Operetta For Sony Masterworks
It’s astonishing that Sony Masterworks is releasing an album of operetta songs – in jazz arrangements! Presented by the young
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