The operetta, Leo Fall's Die Rose von Stambul, premiered during World War I, and its characters and plot contained allusions to contemporary political events and figures.
Compositional Technique
The operetta uses a leitmotivic whole-tone scale chord progression, assigned to the titular heroine Kondja Gül, to evoke an exotic, oriental atmosphere.
Performer Biography
Matthias Klink, a tenor on this recording, was named 'Singer of the Year' in 2017 by the trade journal Opernwelt for his performance in Der Tod in Venedig and received the German Theatre Prize DER FAUST in 2018.
Historical Context
Food rationing during World War I meant that the actor Hubert Marischka had to pay for his own real food for a harem supper scene, as the director refused to provide anything but papier-mâché props.
Critical Reception
Hubert Marischka, who played Achmed Bey in the premiere, became an overnight sensation, particularly among female audiences, leading to a 'veritable Marischka craze'.
Critical Reception
The operetta was a major success, running for 422 performances at the Theater an der Wien, making it the most successful operetta there after Franz Lehár's The Merry Widow.
Historical Context
The character Midili in the operetta is named after the German battlecruiser SMS Breslau, which was renamed 'Midilli' after being sold to the Ottoman Empire during WWI, a detail understood by contemporary audiences.
You might also enjoy...
Shostakovich: Moscow, Cheryomushki
Lehár: Cloclo (Live)
Mozart: Zaide (Das Serail), KV 344
Lehár: Die lustige Witwe
Orff: Oedipus der Tyrann
Lehár: Das Land des Lächelns [1994 Digital Remaster]
Mozart: Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Strauss: Der Carneval in Rom
Mozart: Die Entführung aus dem Serail, K. 384 (The Abduction from the Seraglio)
