“Mein Freund Bunbury” Cancelled: The End of the Operetta Era at Komische Oper?
It came as something of a shock without any pre-warning: At the beginning of the new year the Komische Oper
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Ukrainian Operetta – Or, Popular Musical Theater in Times of War
Yes, there is an institution called National Operetta of Ukraine. It has been situated in the National Academic Theater of
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“Katharine Mehrling in Berlin” – The Promise of an Operetta Album to Come?
This week, Katharine Mehrling is back at Bar jeder Vernunft in Berlin with a program called 6 Nächte in Berlin,
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Italian Operetta Collector and Buffo Ernesto G. Oppicelli Passed Away
At the end of July 2024, operetta collectors around the world lost a point of reference: Ernesto G. Oppicelli passed
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Ohio Light Opera: The 2024 Saison in Wooster
In the decade or so that I’ve been attending Ohio Light Opera’s summer season of operettas and musicals, I continue
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„Venus in Seide“: Triumphales Comeback an der Oper Graz
Die Werke von Robert Stolz stehen derzeit nicht gerade hoch im Kurs. Manche zitieren Richard Strauss‘ Dictum, er sei ein
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Kálmáns „Marinka“ in Schrumpffassung an der Oper Graz
Irgendwie stehen die in Amerika entstandenen Werke emigrierter Komponisten (ob Korngold, Weill oder Kálmán etc.) in unseren Landen immer noch
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Operette und Musicals in der DDR: Ein Gespräch mit Werner P. Seiferth vom Metropoltheater
Übers Thema Operette in der DDR wird in letzter Zeit wieder mehr gesprochen. 2012 gab es in der Ausstellung Welt
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It’s Finally Here: Karin Meesmann’s Biography of Paul Ábrahám
Anyone interested in Paul Ábrahám will have known – or will have heard – that Karin Meesmann has been working
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“They Haven’t Lost Their Mojo”: The Ohio Light Opera Festival 2023
For the first time in four years, Ohio Light Opera has returned for a full indoor season of shows (though
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Linz & Wien: Zweimal „Gräfin Mariza“ von Thomas Enzinger
Kálmáns Gräfin Mariza ist (neben der Csardasfürstin) eine seiner perfektesten, beliebtesten und daher zu Recht jahrein jahraus, landauf landab, im
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Oslo Opera Presents “Csárdásfürstin” with a Transgender Sylva
This updated version of the classic Kálmán operetta premiered on 25 November in Norwegian with English subtitles. “Nothing is lost,
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Looking for Mr. X: Kálmán’s “Zirkusprinzessin” at Staatsoper Hannover
The 1926 Kálmán hit Die Zirkusprinzessin – with a libretto by Julius Brammer and Alfred Grünwald and the memorable song
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“The Pleasure Garden“: The LGBT History of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens as a Musical
Back in 2004, the Wien Museum presented the exhibition Alt-Wien: Die Stadt, die niemals war. It examined the phenomenon that
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On the Air: “Blume von Hawaii” Comes to Deutschlandradio Kultur
It’s the end of an era. For ten years Barrie Kosky made it his mission to revive forgotten Weimar Republic
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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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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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“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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Refreshing & Modern: Musikalische Komödie Starts Collaboration with Young Filmmakers
Operetta goes online? That’s not exactly news, after more than a year of Corona lockdowns and closed theaters, when there
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Big Bang Moments: Martin Mitterrutzner Sings Tenor Hits Of The 1930s
The repertoire Tyrolean tenor Martin Mitterrutzner presents on his new album Heut’ ist der schönste Tag was made popular in
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Is The Gold & Silver Terminology Nothing More Than Camouflaged Anti-Semitism?
On 27 January, 1945 the Nazi concentration in Auschwitz was liberated by the Soviet Army. Memorial speeches all over the
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Wolfgang Jansen’s New Book About Musicals Vs. Operetta: An Interview With The Author
Wolfgang Jansen has published many books: on the history of revues and revue operettas in the Weimar Republic, on Broadway
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World Premiere Recording Of Kálmán’s Symphonic Poems “Saturnalia” & “Endre és Johanna”
In 2013 and 2016 the University of British Columbia performed two of Emmerich Kálmán’s early symphonic poems, Saturnalia and Endre
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“Sehnsucht 202” On DVD: A Very Queer Version Of Vienna With Fritz Schulz & Paul Kemp
The Austrian newspaper Der Standard has added a forgotten film operetta to their DVD series “Der österreichische Film”, a movie
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When Theaters Stay Closed, Operettas Go Online – Not Just In Budapest
The 2nd wave Corona lockdown has made operetta performances virtually impossible in many countries, and it looks like it might
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“My Song For You”: A Marta Eggerth & Jan Kiepura Exhibition In Vienna
Devotees of classic Hollywood musicals – the sort that are the staple of Turner Classic Movies – will know Hungarian
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“Swapping The Canon” To Dismantle Racism & Hetero-Cis-Patriarchy? Proposals For Higher Education In The USA
There’s a lot happening in the world of theater right now, not just because of Corona and the ongoing lockdown
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Lorenzo Viotti Wants To Overcome The “Stiffness” Of The Classical Music World: “Csardasfürstin” From Zurich
The Zurich Opera presented its new Csardasfürstin on Friday, after a long Corona delay. As compensation for the waiting, the
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Broadway Producer Henry W. Savage (1859-1927): “Merry Widow” and “Sari” Were His Greatest Hits
Harvard-educated Henry Wilson Savage was born in New Durham (New Hampshire) on 21 March 1859 and well established as a
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How Is Our “Woke-Ass Culture” Dealing With The Supposed Racism Of “Zigeunerbaron”?
There’s an increasingly firece discussion about supposed “racism” in operetta. Recently, a production of Franz Lehár’s Land des Lächelns at
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A New “Exilmuseum” In Berlin – Will It Include The Entertainment World?
It’s going to happen: Berlin will get an “Exilmuseum,” a museum dedicated to the stories of those who went into
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Daddy Issues At Ohio Light Opera: How Could “Constructive” Critcism Work With Lehár’s “Cloclo”?
The other day I had a long transatlantic phone conversation with an US-American operetta researcher I greatly admire for his
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The Royal Voice of Betty Fischer On Truesound Transfers
In 1924 Betty Fischer created one of the greatest operetta roles of the 20th century: Gräfin Mariza in Emmerich Kálmán’s
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The Father Of The “Silver Operetta” Age? Happy Birthday, Franz Lehár
It doesn’t happen often that an operetta composer gets that much attention in the general media, certainly the Germany language
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“One Long Gender-Bender”: Berlin’s Queer Operetta Revolution In The Years 2010-2020
The Drama Review (TDR) is planning a special issue on the developments in the German theater scene from 2010 to
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Kálmán’s “Hollandweibchen” Comes To You As “The Little Dutch Girl” On DVD
Kálmán’s 1920 Viennese hit Das Hollandweibchen is a special work that marks a turning point in the composer’s long career.
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