“Lächeln trotz Weh und tausend Schmerzen”: Franz Lehárs Rundfunkaufnahmen im Dritten Reich
Yes, they are very famous and widely known: Lehár’s operettas as recorded by the Nazis, often with stellar casts, offering
read morePosts Tagged 'Nazi Operetta'
Andreas Homoki’s “Land des Lächelns” From Zurich: Starring Piotr Beczala
Everyone knows that Lehár had a not-so-secret longing for the ‘grand operatic’ and devoted the latter part of his long
read more
“Wie einst im Mai” At The Summer Festival in Neustrelitz
Neustrelitz is a small, historic, beautiful, charming, quiet town, set amidst the lakes north of Berlin. For British readers: can
read more
Gaiety, Glitz and Glamour? Conference at the University of Leeds 2019
British researchers are continuing their conference series Gaiety, Glitz and Glamour. For the next installment at the School of Music,
read more
“Don’t Forget, Goebbels Was A Ladies’ Man”: Memories Of The Hiller Girls
Sitting in her tidy Munich apartment, as snowflakes swirl outside, Jenny Hiller is far away as she watches her younger
read more
The First Sperm-Donor Operetta: How “Axel an der Himmelstür” Became “Liebespremiere” In 1943
The Hollywood spoof Axel an der Himmelstür, with music by Ralph Benatzky, premiered at the Theater an der Wien in
read more
Abraham’s “Ball im Savoy” In Koblenz: No Lavish Sets But SS Officers
Having hugely enjoyed Barrie Kosky’s 2013 exuberant production of Abraham’s Ball im Savoy several times, I was interested to see
read more
Re-Writing “Roxy und ihr Wunderteam” As A Gay Football Farce In Augsburg
Theater Augsburg is in the midst of refurbishment, so the various ensembles have decamped to several venues around the city.
read more
Berlin Letter: Major Revival Of Forgotten Weimar-Era Operetta Is Proving A Hit
For a city so rich in culture, and drowning in history, it is surprising to experience first-hand Berlin’s long cultural
read more
Alberto Spadolini: The Nude Spy & Dancer From “Die lustige Witwe” 1940
We recently ran an article on “Operetta in the Third Reich,” reporting on the new book of the same title
read more
“Maske in Blau” In Baden: With Uli Scherbel As A Tap-Dancing Hero
The small spa town of Baden-bei-Wien, 26 kilometers south-west of Vienna and with a population of 26,000, boasts a 500
read more
“Die große Sünderin”: Gorgeous Künneke Melodies, Sumptuously Orchestrated
Kevin Clarke has recently penned a fascinating article concerning the background to the composition of Die große Sünderin, first produced
read more
Kismet Meets Operetta: Nico Dostal’s “Prinzessin Nofretete” From Leipzig
If you like your operettas exotic, grand, over-the-top and as a total blast, you will probably love the overture to
read more
Künneke’s “Die große Sünderin” In Leipzig: Bringing Back Aryan Operetta Today
You might recall that back in the 1990s a renewed interest in so called ‘degenerate’ operettas spread around the world.
read more
Sensationell: Sophia Euskirchen als Sally Bowles
Ja, dieser Auftritt der neuen Sally-Bowles-Darstellerin im Berliner Tipi-Zelt am Kanzleramt ist vergleichbar mit einem Blitzeinschlag – der mit gleißendem
read more
Barbara Denscher’s Victor Léon Biography & Matthias Kauffmann’s “Operette im Dritten Reich”
Has operetta research shifted gear? One could think so, considering that there are finally in-depth academic studies coming out that
read more
How Do You Solve A Problem Like “Saison in Salzburg”? The New Production In Ischl
The Lehár Festival in Ischl just presented a new production of Fred Raymond’s Saison in Salzburg – as a colorful
read more
Lehár’s New “Graf von Luxemburg” On OEHMS Classics
If you grew up as a kid in Germany, you probably learned early from a famous TV program to always
read more
A History Of Popular Musical Theater In Dresden, 1844 Until Today
The Staatsoperette Dresden has been – for many years – one of the few theaters in Germany, before and after
read more
A New Biogragphy Of Charles Amberg – Lyricist Of “Clivia”
Charles Amberg (1894-1946) is not exactly a household name today, and even dedicated operetta fans will be hard pressed to
read more
An Overdose Of Nostalgia: The Arthaus TV Operetta Series
Can this really be happening, is Arthaus-Unitel seriously re-issuing all of these old TV operetta adaptations from the early 1970s
read more
Viennese Operetta Gems 1927-1949: A Classic Naxos Compilation
Any operetta compilation that starts with Charles Kullmann singing “Als flotter Geist, doch früh verwaist” like this has my immediate
read more
Joseph Beer’s “Polnische Hochzeit” (1937) On CPO
“In der Heimat blüh’n die Rosen – nicht für mich den Heimatlosen”, sings Count Boleslav in his first big solo
read more
Dostal’s “Ungarische Hochzeit” (1939): First Complete Recording Of “Lebensraum” Operetta
Here is a new and first complete recording of Nico Dostal’s 1939 operetta Ungarische Hochzeit – premiered at the opera
read more
“Axel an der Himmelstür” in Vienna: Take Your Clothes Off, Beautfiful Operetta Lady!
The Volksoper Vienna has revived the 1936 hit Axel an der Himmeltür, originally written for Zarah Leander and Max Hansen.
read more
“Stella: Ein deutsches Singspiel” By Wolfgang Böhmer And Peter Lund
It seems there is a new and inspiring wave of “history musicals,” with Hamilton on Broadway leading the way: a
read more
„Ich reiß mir eine Wimper aus und stech’ dich damit tot!“ Die Entnazifizierung der NS-Operette zwischen 1945 und 2015
Nach der sogenannten „Stunde Null“ am 8. Mai 1945 hatten die Menschen in Deutschland mit hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit andere Sorgen, als sich
read more
“Leichte Muse im Wandel der Zeit”: A Conference On Nazi Operetta In Nuremberg
Nuremberg is a special place for a conference that wishes to examine “Operetta in Nazi Times.” Because the so called
read more
Paul Lincke’s “Frau Luna” At The Tipi Tent In Berlin
Most people outside of Germany will probably know Paul Lincke’s 1899 hit show Frau Luna because of the rousing march
read more
“Swing tanzen verboten”: A Little Book On Operetta After 1933
It’s a small book, but full of interesting content: Swing tanzen verboten. Unterhaltungsmusik nach 1933 zwischen Widerstand, Propaganda und Vertreibung.
read more
Jessel’s “Schwarzwaldmädel” At Hamburg’s Engelsaal
Leon Jessel’s 1917 operetta Das Schwarzwaldmädel was one of the great WW1 hits coming from Berlin, because it transported war-weary
read more
Nico Dostal’s “Prinzessin Nofretete” New In Leipzig
The Oper Leipzig annouced its new season this week, including the program for the associated Musikalische Komödie. There is a
read more
“Frau Luna” At The Tipi Am Kanzleramt
There are news, and there are NEWS. This certainly qualifies for the latter category, in capital letters: Berlin’s private theater
read more
Vienna’s New Year’s Concert: Using Johann Strauss As A PR-Tool For Tourism
How could we get through January 1st without the obligatory New Year’s Concert from Vienna? The 2016 edition was conducted
read more
Das Neujahrskonzert der Wiener Philharmoniker: Angst vor der Nazi-Vergangenheit?
Am 1. Januar 2016 wird das kommerziell erfolgreiche Neujahrskonzert der Wiener Philharmoniker im Großen „goldenen“ Saal des Musikvereinsals „75-jähriges Jubiläum“
read more
Operette in Wien in den Jahren 1938 bis 1944: Eine Bestandsaufnahme
Am 12. März 1938 nachmittags hatten sich in der Wohnung des Dramaturgen und Regisseurs Kurt Hellmer in Naschmarktnähe ein paar
read more