Dresden, in competition with Vienna, has since 2010 held, under the
direction
of Christian Thielemann, an annual New Year’s concert devoted to light
music
… and what a splendid event it is.
Two successive New Year’s concerts are presented on this novel
CD + DVD package. The DVD is described as a bonus; although, at 95 minutes
duration, I would have described it as a major part of the package. The CD
content comprises the 2012 concert which is devoted, in the main, to the
operetta music of
Emmerich Kálmán and the DVD mainly to
Lehár’s operetta music that comprised the 2011 event.
Thielemann, who is a conductor normally associated with the Romantic
and the Late-Romantic, especially Wagner, clearly enjoys the exuberantly
infectious music of these concerts.
The full list of works performed is given at the foot of this
review. The fact that the numbers are given in German should not concern
readers; all are well-known favourites and the titles of the operettas
themselves, I reckon, will be sufficient guide for most fans.
Both the CD and the DVD feature the handsome debonair tenor Piotr
Beczala whose ardent romanticism is so suitable for these songs.
There’s that unashamedly romantic catch in his voice at particularly
poignant moments. Ideally partnered with him on the CD is the honey-voiced
lyric soprano Ingeborg Schöpf. The CD devotes 15 of its 17 numbers to
the sparkling music of Emmerich Kálmán commencing with the
buoyant
Countess Maritza overture. There are two lovely numbers from
that operetta: the lovely lilting duet ‘Einmal möcht ’ich
wieder tanzen’ and the dreamy tenor solo, ‘Wenn es Abend
wird’. Schöpf and the choir sing surely one of
Kálmán’s most catchy songs, the czardas, ‘Heia,
heia, in den Bergen ist mein Heimatland’ from
The Gypsy
Princess. Immediately following, is another of
Kálmán’s loveliest romantic songs, from the same
operetta, the gorgeous duet ‘Weisst du es noch’. I could go on
like this covering practically every number on this CD - the lovely tunes
keep coming, on practically every track. However I will restrict myself to
mentioning Josephine’s dream song: ‘Ein kleiner Slowfox mit
Mary’ from
Die Herzogin von Chicago. It’s an unusual but
very appealing and sexy-jazzy treatment
. Then there are the
infectious tango rhythms of ‘Heut Nacht hab ich geträumt von
dir’ and the stirring ‘Carrambolina, Carramboletta’ both
from
The Voice of Montmartre. I can’t finish covering this
delightful CD without mentioning the sweepingly joyous ‘Tanzen
möcht’ ich’ from
The Gypsy Princess.
On the DVD, Piotr Beczala is joined by experienced opera singer Angela
Denoke,
named Singer of the Year by the magazine
Opernwelt
in
1999, and Ana Maria Labin who has gained experience on the operetta stage as
well
as in a wide selection of operatic roles. Both ladies grace the stage in
lovely
full ball gowns for the more romantic numbers and in tighter fitting dresses
for
the more voluptuous and racy songs. Angela Denoke has a beautiful pink dress
with
a very full train for her lovely
Paganini aria
‘Freunde,
das
leben ist lebenswert’. Ana Maria Labin has a pretty light golden dress
for
her role as Elisabeth, when she sings with such expressive eyes how
she’s
so much in love (‘Ich bin verliebt’). It’s one of
Lehár’s
most tender melodies and is from
Schön ist die Welt. I
won’t
go into detail about the other vocal numbers as they are far too well-known
save
to say that they are all delivered with grace, elegance and where
appropriate,
fun. I would, however, just mention two non-vocal tracks. The concert opens
with
Lehár’s Overture to,
Giuditta from which Beczala also
sings
the confident and alluring ‘Friends, life is worth living’ as he
addresses
enraptured females.
Giuditta was Lehár's last and most
ambitious
work. Conceived on a large scale it is almost opera. Thus it seems a shame
that
it has not been served too well as far as DVD is concerned. I know of only
one
DVD recording presently available. I must mention one delight: as the
orchestra
begins to play Lehár’s
Wilden Rosen waltz, a little girl
steals
from her seat in the auditorium and joins the dancers of the Dresden Opera
Ballet
as they dance to the music along corridors and wide staircases.
A delightful package which I will be returning to with great
pleasure and one that will be a strong contender for my
Recordings of the
Year selection.
Ian Lace
CD (including bonuses):
Emmerich KÁLMÁN (1882-1953)
Gräfin Mariza (Countess Maritza) (1924)- Overture; ‘Komm,
Zigány’
*; ‘Einmal möcht ‘ ich wieder tanzen’ * +;
‘Wenn
es Abend wird’ (Grüss mir mein Wien) *
Die Csárdásfürstin (
The Gypsy Princess)
(1915)
- ‘Heia, heia, in den Bergen ist mein # Heimatland’ +;
‘Weisst
du es noch’ + *; ‘Tanzen möcht’ ich’ + *
Die Zirkusprinzessin (
The Circus Princess) (1926) -
‘Zwei
Märchenaugen’
Kaiserin Josephine (1936) - Ballet and Ensemble; ‘Mein Traum,
mein
traum’ +
Der Teufelsreiter (1932) - ‘Grand Palotas de la Reine’
Die Herzogin von Chicago (1928) ‘Ein kleiner Slowfox mit
Mary’#
Das Veilchen vom Montmartre (
The Voice of Montmartre) (1930) -
‘Heut
Nacht hab ich geträumt von dir’ * ‘Carrambolina,
Carramboletta’
+#
Die Zigeunerprimas (The Gypsy Band Leader) (1912) - ‘Ich tanz
mit
dir ins Himmelreich’*+
Robert STOLZ (1880-1975)
Ob blond, ob braun, ich liebe alle Frau’n *
Johann STRAUSS II (1825-1899)
An der Elbe - Waltz
* Piotr Beczala as Tassilo
(Mariza
), Edwin
(
Csárdásfürstin), Mister X (
Die
Zirkusprinzessin), Raoul (
Das Veilchen vom Montmartre)
Gaston
(
Die Zigeunerprimas)
+ Ingeborg Schöpf as Mariza, Sylvia
(
Csárdásfürstin) Josephine (
Kaiserin
Josephine), Mary (
Die Herzogin von Chicago), Ninon (
Das
Veilchen vom Montmartre), Sári (
Die Zigeunerprimas)
# Sächsischer Staatsopernchor
Staatskapelle Orchestra Dresden/Christian Thielemann
rec. Dresden, 29-30 December 2012
DVD:
Franz LEHÁR (1870-1948)
Giuditta (1934)- Overture; Waltz; ‘Freunde, das leben ist
lebenswert’*#
Paganini (1925) - ‘Liebe, du Himmel auf Erden’ +;
‘Wer
will heut Nacht mein Liebster sein’ +; ‘Gern hab ich die so wie
ich’
*; ‘Niemand liebt dich so wie ich’ * +;
Der Graf von Luxemburg (The Count of Luxemburg) (1909) - Intermezzo
Friederike (1928) - ‘Die Mädels sind nur zum Küssen
da’
~ #;
Das Land des Lächeins (The Land of Smiles) (1923) - ‘Wer
hat
die Liebe uns ins Herz gesenkt’ * +; ‘Dein ist mein ganzes
Herz’
*
Die Göttergatte (The Ideal Husband) (1904) - Overture
Eva (1911) - ‘Wär es auch nicts als ein Augenblick’
~
Der Zarewitsch (The Tsarevich) (1926) - ‘Warum hat jeder
Frühling
ach, nur einen Mai’
Zigeunerlieber (1910) - ‘Endlisch, Józsi bist du
hier’
# (choir only)
Zigeunerfest (Gypsy Feast) - ballet scene
Schön ist die Welt (1914) - ‘Ich bin verliebt’ ~
Wilde Rosen - Waltz
Johann STRAUSS II (1825-1899)
Zehner-Polka (1849)
An der Elbe Waltz (1897)
Oscar STRAUSS (1870-1954)
Eine Frau, die weiss, was sie will (1932) - ‘Warum soll eine
Frau
kein Verhältnis haben’ +
* Piotr Beczala as Octavio in
Giuditta; as
Paganini; as
Sou-Chong in
The Land of Smiles; as the
Zarewitsch;
+ Angela Denoke as Anna Elisa in
Paganini, as Lisa in
The
Land of Smiles, as Sonja in
Der Zarewitsch and Manon in
Eine
Frau, die weiss, was sie will
~ Anna Maria Labin as Salomea in
Friederike; as Eva as
Elizabeth in
Schön ist die Welt
# Sächsischer Staatsopernchor
Staatskapelle Orchestra, Dresden/Christian Thielemann
rec. Dresden, 31 December 2011
[76.55 + 95:00]
