Revisiting “Daniela Ziegler Sings Ralph Benatzky” In 2020
At the beginning of August 2020 Helga Benatzky died at the blessed age of 96: she had been in charge
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Post-Corona Operetta In Berlin. Or: Here’s Barrie Kosky’s Chancelled “Orpheus In The Underworld”
Has the long waiting finally come to an end, is post-Corona operetta back? After the somewhat problematic “Jewish and Gay”
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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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Dario Salvi: Recording Johann Strauss’ “Blindekuh” (1878) For Naxos In Sofia
“Blindekuh”, literally “blind cow”, is the German term for the “blind man’s buff” game – and it is the title
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Operetta Between The Two World Wars: International Musicological Symposium In Ljubljana
The staging of musical-dramatic works in the late nineteenth century was dominated by operetta, which effectively dictated the programmes of
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Benatzky’s “Meine Schwester und ich” At Volksoper Wien
Benatzky’s 1930 hit Meine Schwester und ich in a new Wien Volksoper production is totally delightful and enchantingly charming. More
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Thank You For The Music! Duophon Records Founder Alfred Wagner Has Died
It’s with great sadness that we heard about the death of Alfred Wagner this morning. He was the man behind
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Nils Grosch & Carolin Stahrenberg: “Im weißen Rössl. Kulturgeschichtliche Perspektiven”
Over the past twenty years, German-speaking operetta has been enjoying a revival, especially Berlin operettas of the Weimar Republic by
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“Im weißen Rössl” At Renaissance Theater Berlin: Drowning A Fun Show In Melancholy
It will come as no surprise when I say that Im weißen Rössl holds an extra-special place in my heart,
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The English Language Adventures of “Im weißen Rössl”
The overwhelming and instant success of Erik Charell’s operetta spectacle Im weißen Rössl at Berlin’s Großes Schauspielhaus (the so-called “Theater
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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
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The Problem With Thielemann’s Dresden New Year’s Concert
Yes, it’s that time of year again when New Year’s concerts are unavoidable. It’s also the time when those in
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Benatzky’s “Liebe im Schnee” With The Kammeroperette Münster
The so called Kammeroperette Münster specialises in staging “minimalist” productions of neglected operettas: this year one of Benatzky’s first full-length
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Shades Of Grey: “Axel an der Himmelstür” In Vienna
Considering the continuing number of revivals of Im weißen Rössl one could be forgiven for thinking that Benatzky composed nothing
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Re-Sampling A Legend: “Ziegfeld And His Follies” By Cynthia And Sara Brideson
Here is a splashy new biography of “Broadway’s Greatest Producer,” Florenz Ziegfeld, written by the team of the Brideson sisters,
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“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.
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“The White Horse Inn At Central Park”: Rediscovering The Jimmy Berg Adaptations
The White Horse Inn at the Central Park – an Austrian operetta staged in New York in the 1940s? Yes,
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On The Road With John Groves: “Im weißen Rössl” In Neustrelitz
To tell the truth: Im weißen Rössl at the Neustrelitz open air operetta festival was fascinating! For a start, I
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“Al cavallino bianco”: The 1954 Italian Film Version Starring Rosy Barsony
As everyone knows, by now, there are many White Horse Inn incarnations out there, and it seems more and more
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Reviewing The Swiss Operetta Scene: A Conversation With Simon Burkhalter
Young stage director Simon Burkhalter is busy putting Im weißen Rössl on in Bern, Switzerland, where the “slowest people in
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The White Horse Rides Again: Jimmy Berg’s “Rössl” 1940s Adaptations
Das Weiße Rössl am Central Park – eine österreichische Kultoperette im New York der 40er Jahre? 1941 und 1947 war
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Benatzky’s “Bezauberndes Fräulein” In Switzerland
Ralph Benatzky’s “Musikalisches Lustspiel” Bezauberndes Fräulein (1933) is a true delight. As anyone knows who has ever heard the wonderful
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Two “Im weißen Rössl” Exhibtions In Neustrelitz
It is one man’s enthusiasm that made this possible: the hotel owner Jürgen Haase from Neustrelitz – a picturesque town
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“Männe, hak’ mir mal die Taille auf!”: Erotic Cabaret Songs
The art of the suggestive song is not restricted to any particular historic era; it is, however, limited to a
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“She Loves Me”: Miklos Laszlo’s Hungarian Play As A Modern Broadway-Operetta?
Many great operetta things come from Hungary; and you might add, many great musical comedy things too. Emmerich Kalman wanted
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Oscar Straus – Ein deutscher Offenbach?
Yes, there’s a new book on Oscar Straus, that often over-looked composer of Ein Walzertraum but also of Die lustigen
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Desirée Nick: “Ich bin die größte Diva von allen!”
Die singende Entertainerin und TV-Phänomen Desirée Nick ist derzeit in der Sat1-Show Promi Big Brother zu bestaunen (und so ziemlich
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“I Want To Be A Primadonna”: Christoph Marti Turns 50 Today
It’s a ultra-pink birthday today, and a reason for the operetta world to celebrate one of its greatest divas of
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“Im Weißen Rössl” Re-Examined: A Conference In St. Wolfgang
Yes, there is more: more White Horse Inn. (Hooray!) The Paris-Lodron Univeristy Salzburg, together with the Leopold-Franzens University Innsbruck, is
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Operetta for Generation LGBTQIA: “White Horse Inn” in Bremen
When a production of White Horse Inn starts with a new overture and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” – segueing into
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Can Critics Get Away With Anything? Reading Michael Cerha and “Der Standard”
The Austrian newspaper Der Standard was founded in 1988 and is known, if you believe Wikipedia, as a “left-liberal” and
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The “Dancing Conductor” Joseph R. Olefirowicz In Munich
If you’re watching this space, you might have registered some recent frustration with current operetta conductors who were not quite
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Five Year Plan: Glorious Rarities At The Festival In Ischl
Yes, it might be true that the Austrian operetta festival in Bad Ischl is fighting for “pure survival,” as director
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The “White Horse Inn” of Saxony
Yes, there is going to be another one: The Musikalische Komödie will present the Ralph Benatzky/Erik Charell “Singspiel” Im weißen
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An Academic Symposium on “White Horse Inn” in 2015
Hold your breath: There’s going to be an „interdisciplinary symposium“ on White Horse Inn, examining „new cultural-historical perspectives 1930-2015.“ When?
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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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