DAS LAND DES LÄCHELNS
OPERETTE LANGENLOIS will play “Die Fledermaus” in 2021 - FOR SURE!
“Die Fledermaus” in Langenlois has been postponed but not canceled. In the summer of 2020, two operetta concerts took place in Schloss Haindorf, but they were more than just an "emergency program"; rather a strong artistic sign of life and a foretaste of the clever arrangements of the musical director Tscho Theissing and the great cast of singers.
The Langenlois operetta will be celebrating its 25th season with the “queen” of the genre from July 28, 2021. The audience will not only enjoy the confusion about the nocturnal escapades of Herr von Eisenstein (Erwin Belakowitsch), but also at the Prince's Festival Orlofsky (Roman Sadnik) also join in the celebration. Together we pay homage to “the king of all wines” including hangover mood and resolution of all misunderstandings in prison: “Happy is who forgets ...”.
Nicole Claudia Weber will be a director at Haindorf Castle, Cornelia Horak will sing Rosalinde and the director of the Langenlois operetta, Christoph Wagner-Trenkwitz, will slip into the role of the prison servant Frosch.
In any case, if the current safety precautions are observed, there will be joie de vivre, fun and enjoyment for the eyes and ears on the open-air stage at Schloss Haindorf.
The way for an exciting and entertaining summer production in Langenlois has been paved - be our guest and celebrate with us. We look forward to seeing you again at “Die Fledermaus”!
Franz Lehár
The composer
His father Johann Strauss originally planned a career as a civil servant for him, but his soon-to-be single mother Anna, née Streim (1801–1870), who did everything possible to take revenge for her husband's infidelity with the support of her son, enabled Johann junior to study music, among others with Joseph Drechsler.
Since the father had broken with the family, Johann junior had to take care of the family's food as the elder and he began to give concerts. His first appearance at Casino Dommayer on October 15, 1844 in the Viennese suburb of Hietzing, an entertainment venue known throughout the region, was a huge success. Tours soon took him across Europe and North America. After the death of his father in 1849, he took over his orchestra. From 1856 to 1865 he traveled every summer to Pavlovsk near St. Petersburg at the invitation of the Russian railway company. There he not only gave guest appearances. Many new works were also created, which he then added to his repertoire. Strauss also had a love affair with the Russian composer Olga Smirnitskaja.
Since he had composed some works for the revolutionaries of 1848 - e.g. B. the freedom songs waltz and the revolution march - and thus showed sympathy for the insurrection movement, he drew the attention of the censorship authorities and fell out of favor at court despite his popularity. So it was not until 1863 that Emperor Franz Joseph I appointed him "kk court ball music director".
He was now in charge of all court balls until 1871. During this time, Strauss only composed dance music, which established his reputation as the “waltz king”. In 1866/1867 he composed the Danube Waltz (On the Beautiful Blue Danube), which later became world-famous and is now the unofficial anthem of Vienna and Austria, in his apartment at the time, 2., Praterstraße 54. In 1871 his request for removal from the post of court ball music director was approved; at the same time he was awarded the Franz Joseph Order. His brother Eduard Strauss became his successor. Josef Strauss took part in the direction of the Strauss Orchestra from 1853 and from 1861 the then 25-year-old Eduard Strauss officially joined the chapel as a further conductor, which he directed together with his brother Josef until 1870.
Jacques Offenbach, with whom he met in 1864, had inspired Strauss to compose operettas, which Strauss himself always referred to as "comic opera". On February 10, 1871, his first operetta, Indigo und die 40 Räuber, had its premiere in the Theater an der Wien. The premiere of his most successful and probably best-known operetta of all, Die Fledermaus, also took place at this theater on April 5, 1874. This work was included in the repertoire of the kk Hofoper (today the Vienna State Opera) in 1894 and is the only operetta that is played there to this day. A number of other operetta premieres followed, including The Merry War and A Night in Venice. Strauss became a central figure in the “golden era of Viennese operetta”.
In 1876 Strauss received the building permit for a residential building in the Wieden district, Igelgasse 4/6, which Strauss used in house 4 for himself and his family. This so-called “Strauss Palais” was completed in 1878. It was close to the Palais Archduke Rainer and the Wiedner Hauptstrasse, through which one got directly to the old town. In 1944 it was destroyed by bombs in air raids.
DAS LAND DES LÄCHELNS
Das Stück
DAS LAND DES LÄCHELNS ist eine Operette in drei Akten von Franz Lehár und gehört zu den Meisterwerken der Silbernen Operettenära. Es zählt nach DIE LUSTIGE WITWE zu den erfolgreichsten Werken des Komponisten . Das Stück wurde im Oktober 1929 in Berlin uraufgeführt und ist eine Neufassung von DIE GELBE JACKE, welches bereits im Februar 1923 seine Uraufführung hatte. Bereits Ende 1930 hatte es das Stück auf fast 200 Inszenierungen an den europäischen Theaterhäusern gebracht und wird bis heute gerne gespielt. Die erste Verfilmung der Operette entstand 1930 unter der Regie von Max Reichmann und war der erste internationale Erfolg des deutschen Tonfilms.
Immer wieder versuchte Franz Lehár seinen erfolgloseren Werken durch Neubearbeitungen und Umbenennungen Erfolg zu verschaffen - nur mit DAS LAND DES LÄCHELNS gelang ihm dies erfolgreich und dauerhaft.
In Lehárs letzter Schaffensphase ab 1925, in welche dieses Stück fällt, nahmen die Operetten des Komponisten opernhafte Züge an: dramatischere Musik und Handlung sowie der Verzicht auf ein Happy End.
Die Grafentochter Lisa von Lichtenfels, eine der begehrtesten Heiratskandidatinnen Wiens, möchte sich den gesellschaftlichen Konventionen nicht beugen und lehnt somit auch den Heiratsantrag ihres Freundes Gustav von Pottenstein, Gustl, ab. Bei einem Fest im Hause ihres Vaters verliebt sie sich in den chinesischen Prinzen Sou-Chong, der ihre Gefühle auch erwidert. Als dieser zum Ministerpräsidenten seines Landes berufen wird und umgehend nach Peking zurückkehren muss, entscheidet Lisa - entgegen den Warnungen ihres Vaters - Sou-Chong zu heiraten und ihm ins ferne China zu folgen.
Entgegen ihres anfänglichen Optimismus in China heimisch zu werden, fühlt sich Lisa zunehmend fremd und unwohl im chinesischen Palast. Sou-Chong muss sich den Forderungen seines sittenstrengen Onkels Tschang beugen und neben Lisa vier Mandschu-Mädchen heiraten. Gustl, der sich aus Sorge um seine Freundin zwischenzeitlich nach China versetzen hat lassen, trifft auf Prinzessin Mi, die Schwester des Prinzen, welche selbst mit den strengen Sitten Chinas hadert und in Gustl eine Gelegenheit sieht, ihrem goldenen Käfig zu entfliehen. Gustl trifft auf Lisa und sie erfährt von den Heiratsplänen des Prinzen, woraufhin sie diesen zur Rede stellt. Trotz seiner Versicherungen, es handle sich bloß um eine rein formelle Zeremonie, kommt es zu einem Zerwürfnis und Lisa will den Palast verlassen. Der Prinz verbietet dies aber und lässt sie fortan rund um die Uhr bewachen.
Lisa, die nun unter Aufsicht des Obereunuchen mit den neuen Ehefrauen des Prinzen im Frauentrakt zusammenleben muss, erträgt die Sehnsucht nach der Heimat und die Erniedrigung kaum. Mit Prinzessin Mis Hilfe bricht Gustl in die Frauengemächer ein, um Lisa zur Flucht in die Heimat zu verhelfen. Beim Fluchtversuch begegnen die beiden allerdings Sou-Chong. Lisa bittet um Gnade und der Prinz erkennt, dass er sie nicht halten kann. Er lässt sie ziehen und bleibt mit einem traurigen Lächeln zurück.
