Lehar: The Merry Widow / The Land of Smiles (2 CD/CD-ROM)

Schwarzkopf (Artist), Loose (Artist), Kraus (Artist), Lehar (Composer), Ackermann (Conductor) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Conductor: Ackermann
• Composer: Lehar
• Audio CD (April 20, 2010)
• Number of Discs: 3
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B00369K2A0
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #454,918 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Ouvertüre (Orchester)

2. Act One: Da kommt Lisa!...Hoch soll sie leben...Heut', meine Herr'n, war ein Tag (Gustl/Chor/Lisa)

3. Act One: Flirten, bißchen flirten (Lisa/Chor)

4. Act One: Dialog: Bitte, Lisa, bleib' doch ein Moment! (Gustl/Lisa)

5. Act One: Es ist nicht das erstemal (Gustl/Lisa)

6. Act One: Dialog: Bitte Hoheit, einzutreten (Diener/Sou-Chong)

See all 34 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Act Three: Auf wiederseh'n!... Wie rasch verwelkt doch das kleine Blümchen Glück (Mi)

2. Act Three: Dialog: Lisa, wir sind verloren! (Gustl/Sou-Chong/Lisa)

3. Act Three: Dieselbe Sonne, die über Europa scheint...Dialog: Lisa, wir sind zwei Menschen (Lisa/Sou-Chong/Gustl/Mi)

4. Act Three: Liebes Schwesterlein, sollst nicht traurig sein (Sou-Chong/Mi)

5. Die Lustige Witwe (2001 Digital Remaster), Act One: Introduktion (Orchester) Verehrteste Damen und Herren (Cascada/Chor/Zeta)

6. Die Lustige Witwe (2001 Digital Remaster), Act One: Dialog: Und jetzt, meine Herrschaften (Zeta/Valencienne/Camille)

See all 36 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Das Land des Lächelns: Libretto

2. Das Land des Lächelns: Synopsis

3. Die Lustige Witwe: Libretto

4. Die Lustige Witwe: Synopsis

Editorial Reviews

"To praise the performance, the recording, the production of the opera, as they deserve would soon exhaust the limited stock of laudatory adjectives in our language. Otto Ackermann conducts with complete understanding, and notable sympathy for the singers, and the Philharmonia Orchestra play like angels for him. Each of them sounds like a magnum of champagne!"

Synopsis

Franz Lehár was the leading light of the so-called Silver Age of Viennese operetta in the early 20th century, and Die lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow), first seen in 1905, became an international sensation. It takes place in Paris among the expatriate community of the impoverished Balkan state of Pontevedro; at its centre are Hanna Glawari, a wealthy young widow with humble roots, and Count Danilo Danilowitsch, a diplomat who would rather spend time at Maxim's than at the embassy. The plot - with its themes of money, infidelity and past loves - is convoluted, but there are many witty and touching moments, and the music is both sophisticated and entrancing: the insinuating waltz that reunites Hanna and Danilo; Hanna's `Vilja-Lied' (a supposed Pontevedran folksong); the rumbustious `Ja, das Studium der Weiber ist schwer'; the swooning `Komm' in den kleinen Pavillon', and the hedonistic `Ich gehe zu Maxim'.

Dating from 1929, Das Land des Lächelns (The Land of Smiles), is a bittersweet tale of cross-cultural love between a Viennese countess and a Chinese prince. Written for the legendary tenor Richard Tauber, it is best known for the expansive `Dein ist mein ganzes Herz', known in English as `You are my heart's delight'.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars lehar's masterpieces, land of smiles & merry widow w/schwartzkopf, September 5, 2010

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William Carter - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lehar: The Merry Widow / The Land of Smiles (2 CD/CD-ROM) (Audio CD)

These two Viennese operetas are the best examples of a genre of musical which grew out of the "gilden age" of the late 19th century. The singing of famed soprano, Elizabeth Schwartzkopf is at it best. And, Baritone Erik Kunz is superb in supporting roles in both. However, in order to make space to get both pieces on two CD discs, serious cuts were made in the music; less verbal German spoken dialogue would have been preferred than making cuts in the glorious music of Franz Lehar. WKC