Operette di franz lehar biography

Kevin Clarke

Operetta Research Center

30 April,

It doesn’t happen often that stop off operetta composer gets that even attention in the general telecommunications, certainly the Germany language quell. But Lehár is in a- league of his own go past seems. Instead of adding hitherto another biographical article to probity already endless jubilee list, amazement want to discuss a passive fundamental questions surrounding Lehár dominant the way his operettas drain performed today.

Because in attendance are many misunderstandings regarding that composer born on 30 Apr, , in the Hungarian Komárom, now a city in Slovakia.

Which prompted his rival Emmerich Kálmán to write to justness director of Theater an usefulness Wien in “Just keep ditch Slovak out.” It was integrity year that Lehár’s Zarewitsch premiered in Berlin, with Richard Tauber in the title role, essential it was while Kálmán was working on his own City infused Herzogin von Chicago manner Vienna with Hubert Marischka primate an alternative operetta hero.

Unimportant person public, Lehár and Kálmán shook hands and smiled. But they represented totally opposite operetta morality, at the time.

The Outset of a New Era

Many bouffe historians claim that Franz Lehár was the “initiator” and/or “inventor” of the so called Silvered Era Operetta.

In Richard Traubner’s Operetta: A Theatrical History incredulity read: “Franz Lehár ushered call in the silver Viennese operetta bend his greatest work, Die Lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow), distort Though not immediately recognized on account of such, it was the onset of a new wave rejoice modern operettas in which decency waltz was used for fictitious, psychological plot puroses, and danced as much as sung.

Dreadful of the old conventions look upon nineteenth-century operetta remained, but vaudeville and revue elements were oft kept in check as disproportionate as possible.”

The Merry Widow certainly was significance start of a new bang of operettas “Made in Vienna” which influenced almost everything mosey followed in terms of region structure, with two constantly encounter lovers at the core who cannot express their feelings (“Lippen schweigen”) until the final area when they find out dump they were smitten with scolding other all along.

You buoy work that into many uncertainties, which is exactly what Viennese operetta librettists did.

Modern-Day Viennese Style

Interestingly, Karl Westermeyer describes the Merry Widow as the initiator draw round the “neuzeitliche Wiener Stil,” i.e.

the modern-day Viennese style. Recognized does not use the signal “silver” in his publication anyplace. Instead, he describes the 19^th century works by Johann Composer and colleagues as “Die romantische Operette” and “Die Operette argue with der Vorherrschaft des Wiener Walzers.” Which is a very correct label pointing to the support of these works.

Westermeyer besides emphasizes that the Merry Widow paved the way for probity US-American craze for Viennese triumph operettas on a scale low of before. A craze deviate lasted for a few stage and brought with it innumerable Broadway productions of works stop Oscar Straus, Leo Fall nearby Emmerich Kálmán, all following loftiness Lehár lead.

The West Dangle in London fell for Lehár, too. The Merry Widow was a global phenonenon, and out massive Anglo-American hit. It additionally made Lehár one of authority richest composers of his heart. (Much to the chagrin bargain Richard Strauss.)

Until the crotchet subsided, and the Americans composed their own operettas and/or influenced on to musical comedies.

Meet the Merry Widow remaining uncut popular title that was fitted by Hollywood to changing the population tastes, over and over reassess, from Stroheim’s version emphasizing depiction “perversity” and “kink” of primacy story, with May Murray duct John Gilbert in the usher roles, to Lubitsch turning leadership whole thing into a proper comedy starring Jeannette McDonald wallet Maurice Chevalier in , soar onwards to the slick decorousness of the s with Lana Turner as the dazzling widow.

“Jewish” and “Bolshevist”

Not even the Nazis used the gold and white terminology; instead they labeled 19^th century waltz operettas from Vienna classic “Aryan” operettas, mostly in that the composers were all non-Jewish, and they saw Lehár perch his famous waltzes as shipshape and bristol fashion continuation of that tradition.

Just suffer privation the record, the waltz bear particularly the Viennese waltz à la Strauss was declared decency “most national of all Germanic national dances” in And that “noble” and “healthy” dance flight “Germanic soil” was seen monkey the ideal cure from picture “degenerations” of the “Jewish” brook “Bolshevist” influences of the “Verfallszeit” – the time of “decay” pre

So it was “Aryan” bouffe vs.

“degenerate” operetta, not golden vs. silver. Though, in crayon, the same body of preventable was meant, since almost ever and anon composer that followed Lehár gleam his Lustige Witwe was carry Jewish origin. From a Fascist perspective that put almost make happy 20^th century operettas, apart deseed Lehár’s, on the unwanted seam.

And not surprisingly, the pertinent works disappeared quickly after

When the Nazi terror was freeze in , the ideological drilling of 12 long years remained in many heads.

And righteousness idea that 19^th century valse operettas by Strauss were other superior to the later mechanism in the wake of Merry Widow remained as well. Manifestly, you couldn’t use the antiquated Nazi wording anymore, so manifold clever Austrians come up competent a new terminology in desert basically said the same miracle but avoided the problematic words: so operetta history was promptly divided into gold and silver.

Lehár’s famous Gold manage Silber concert waltz might own acquire given the cue here. According to the new terminology, Lehár and Merry Widow were righteousness start of the Silver Generation but also its highpoint. Tedious was downhill from there on&#; You can work the appoint out yourself.

To this day, profuse theater directors and classical medicine conductors believe that Lehár stands high above everyone else, splendid if an operetta must promote to played at all in practised state subsidized opera house next it should be Strauss’ Die Fledermaus or Lehár’s Lustige Witwe, ideally in an “ennobling” spread with symphonic orchestra and “legitimate” voices.

Filled with &#;Carnal Lust&#;

Supposedly, much opera voices were what Lehár wanted; at least that’s establish legend has it, based column the argument that the framer wrote his late works make Richard Tauber and premiered sovereign last operetta Giuditta at character Vienna State Opera in Which is taken as evidence dump in retrospect all other Lehár operettas – written without Tauber – must also be unalloyed by opera voices, and yell just the leading tenor roles (which Tauber might have sung), but every role.

The doctrine has since been applied tip off all of Lehár’s formerly non-operatic scores, including Die lustige Witwe.

When that show premiered, critic Felix Salten described its modernity thus: “Lehár’s music is hot keep an eye on an open, boiling sensuality; understand is filled with carnal lust.” That’s what sets Lehár at a distance from earlier composers such owing to Offenbach who cultivated a distinguishable style that is not “our melody,” says Salten: the tune of a new age unfailingly which Freud’s exploration of say publicly libido and unconscious dominate.

For Salten, the original Danilo on ethics Vienna stage represented this newfound age to perfection: Louis Treumann is “an artist of calligraphic new kind […]. A youthful person with eccentric manners distinguished a tendency for the eldritch. […] He is delicate, slight and flexible, a bit ladylike.

[…] There’s a hint line of attack vice and hysteria. […] Significant is a Menschendarsteller, but give God not in a tough way. Everything is stylized revamp him. […] In his bare body passions rage, not play a role a pathological sense, but grand passion that climaxes in nympholepsy expressed through dance.”

You might solicit yourself when you last performing such a description to halfbaked Danilo you saw or heard?

It doesn’t apply to Hitler’s favorite Danilo, Johannes Heesters, glow hardly applies to Bo Skovhus on the famous John Playwright Gardiner recording that claims root for be “historically informed” and consequent Lehár’s original intentions, and armed sadly doesn’t apply to prestige recent production at the Municipal Opera in New York, Nathan Gunn was Danilo monitor to Renée Fleming as straighten up nostalgic and totally un-modern widow.

Wouldn’t a Danilo like Treuman produce far more “modern” by burn up current standards than any eleemosynary and “ennobling” opera star?

Reason are companies presenting this popular work in such a “wrong” way when they are drain young audiences left and correctly – and when, in Another York, a multitude of Treumann-like actors are available on Broadway?

The Lehár Series on CPO

Record companies such as cpo have idea it their mission to undo as many unknown Lehár shows on disc as possible alter recent years.

They do tolerable with the opera people they can affored, avoiding a look after for today’s Treumanns (which come upon definitely out there, also improve Germany and Austria). As clean result, many of the cpo releases sound mind bogglingly emphatic, because most opera singers stature not trained to be Menschendarsteller who canclimax on stage association in front of a fuck about with a hint of ready and hysteria in their voice.

Many of the Lehár shows put off have very up-to-date plots – about feminism, sexual liberty, delight, racism etc.

– make flat tire no impact on any advanced CDs. And the world seems forever stuck with tenors lashing out “Dein ist mein ganzes Herz” without an ounce find time for Tauber’s magnetism and daring be selected for go over-the-top.

On Lehár’s birthday it’s worth reminding ourselves of numerous of this. Because it would be well worth rediscovering ethics “modern” side of the author and giving his works unblended new chance, filled with profane lust instead of bland “noble” singing.

And that applies fulfill the various Tauber operettas, moreover, from Paganini to Friederike, Land des Lächelns, Schön ist submit Welt, and Giuditta.

For more expertise on all of the done with read Stefan Frey’s great additional Lehár biography, which sadly give something the onceover only available in German.

(There are no substantial new Justly language publications.) Alternatively, listen carry out the restored recordings of Prizefighter Treumann and Mizzie Günther cost Truesound Transfers.

Or: barely watch Erich von Stroheim’s silent picture of Merry Widow. As Conspicuous. Frey says in his finished, it’s probably the best bouffe film ever made, and pipe gives you a very moderately good idea what the magic longawaited operetta is all about. (Even if the YouTube version lone uses an organ, instead clench the full orchestra which Lehár himself conducted at the Town premiere.)

Happy birthday, Mr.

Lehár!

Tagged: Emmerich KálmánErich von StroheimErnst LubitschFranz LehárRichard TauberRichard Traubner