Imre Kálmán's Die Csárdásfürstin (The Gypsy Princess) is one of the pinnacles of Viennese operetta and perhaps the only major entry in the genre to debut in the midst of World War I. References to the outside conflict within Die Csárdásfürstin are subtle, but pregnant with meaning. If Richard Strauss' Die Rosenkavalier represents the glory of Old Vienna on the eve of her dismantling, Die Csárdásfürstin is the sound of her subsequent collapse in progress. Yet a 1999 production of Die Csárdásfürstin held by the Semper Opera ...
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Imre Kálmán's Die Csárdásfürstin (The Gypsy Princess) is one of the pinnacles of Viennese operetta and perhaps the only major entry in the genre to debut in the midst of World War I. References to the outside conflict within Die Csárdásfürstin are subtle, but pregnant with meaning. If Richard Strauss' Die Rosenkavalier represents the glory of Old Vienna on the eve of her dismantling, Die Csárdásfürstin is the sound of her subsequent collapse in progress. Yet a 1999 production of Die Csárdásfürstin held by the Semper Opera in Dresden that resettled the action into the very trenches of the war was roundly condemned by critics and public alike. Without regard to the serious undertone of the work, its tragic charm, sweet waltzes, and exciting pseudo-Hungarian dances are what sell the tickets still when Die Csárdásfürstin is advertised on the marquee.Yvonne Kenny, Michael Roider, and the Slovak Philharmonic Choir Radio Symphony Orchestra under legendary operetta specialist Richard Bonynge combine their...
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