Search - Franz Lehar, Curt Cremer, Helmuth Froschauer :: Lehár: Wiener Frauen [Highlights]

Lehar's First Operetta!

Brett Farrell | Cape May, NJ USA | 06/29/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"And what a decidedly delicious and wonderful first it is. It's not any wonder he would later go on to become the king of operetta. The overture is itself a stand alone worthy piece. This is only highlights of the operetta however. A complete recording would be nice but I consider myself lucky to get anything. And the parts we do get are just marvelous.

The opera is of course a complicated mockery of existing opera form and tableaux. An wedding ceremony is interrupted by the arrival of the brides long exiled love from her youth. There's a lot of plotting and scheming and everything ends in a satisfactory manner. But as this is only highlights the plot is not very important and as I don't speak German it is of even less concern.

The music is of the highest quality with Lehar's very romantic sound mixed with a military band influence. As Lehar was an army band leader there is little wonder there would not be some influence in it. Of course every piece is or is almost a waltz making it ever so Viennese.

The Music is beautiful if not as sophisticated as Lehar's later works but any operetta fan or Lehar aficionado can find much to love in it. The recording is crystal clear with no dialogue and all the performers are perfect. Plus as a bonus the overtures to `Der Gottergatte' and `Wo die Lerche singt' are placed at the end of the CD. I'm hoping CPO will one day release a complete recording of `Wo die Lerche singt' and at the rate they release lost Lehar, there is a very good chance that that may eventually happen."