These three Lehár operetta productions have been available
separately for some time now. I have reviewed two of them for this
site already. I will fully review the remaining one first. The other
two operettas I will address as a précis and direct readers,
via the usual hyperlinks to my full reviews.
Zigeunerliebe
This is, again, a film of an operetta shot mainly outdoors which works
well for this somewhat darker, more cynical opus. (Its initial run
did not rival that of
The Merry Widow.)
Zigeunerliebe
anticipates Lehár’s late masterpiece
Giuditta
which is more opera than operetta -
Zigeunerliebe is an operatic
operetta.
Gone is the Parisian gaiety of
The Merry Widow or
The
Count of Luxembourg. Instead we have a rather more sombre set
of circumstances. Young Zorika is unsettled when she meets a dashing
gypsy (a moustachioed Ion Buzea looking years too old for her). Zorika
cannot decide what love is and what she wants of it. She believes
her young, rich suitor might cage her in upper class respectability,
whereas she is attracted to what she thinks is the freedom of life
with the gypsies After a few too many drinks at her betrothal party
she falls asleep and has a nightmare and sees the stark realities
of gypsy life: uncommitted, unfaithful and bullying men, and the women
being forced to go out and beg and steal.
This film’s scenery and costumes are lavish - a feast for the
eye. But to western eyes and ears there could be an over-preponderance
of Hungarian folk music and the really well-known tunes don’t
appear until towards the end of the show: the best-known is probably
the duet between Zorika’s father, Dragotin and his flighty,
brothel-owning girlfriend, in which they celebrate that it’s
never too old to love; then there is Józsi’s enthusiastic
song in praise of gypsy freedom; and the duet between Zorika and Józsi,
‘Es liegt in blauen Fernen.’ Buzea, in commanding tone,
makes a plausible romantic yet ultimately rascally and undependable
Józsi Janet Perry’s Zorika is pretty and headstrong and
her young, light soprano voice has an attractive timbre even if she
is not always pitch-perfect. The choir and dancers shine.
Not the best of Lehár but worth considering
Der Graf von Luxembourg
One of Lehár’s most popular operettas, this is a delightful
film (see full
review).
The costumes are gorgeous, lighting and sets attractive and the acting,
for the most part, good. Operatic singers stiffen the operetta roles.
Most of the arias are waltz songs. Hunky Eberhard Wächter in
the title role, rises with aplomb to its demanding part, the tessitura
of which straddles baritone and tenor registers. Lilian Sukis as Angèle
is beautiful and sophisticated, her golden soprano marvellously controlled
across her range particularly in its high register. Helga Papouschek
pouts sweetly and is a honeyed Juliette. Deep-voiced Erich Kunz makes
a dapper and dashing but dignity-affronted Basil and nearly steals
every scene in which he appears.
Enchanting.
Paganini
This film version of
Paganini is a very creditable stab at
a glittering operetta. My full review can be read
here.
Paganini is concerned with an episode from the violinist’s
colourful life when he was supposed to have met and stolen the heart
of Napoleon’s sister, Princess Anna Elisa of Lucca.
Paganini’s
luscious melodies include: ‘Girls were Made to Love and Kiss’.
Gorgeous melodies, glittering production.
Ian Lace
Performance details
Zigeunerliebe (Gypsy Love) (1910)
Operetta film (1974)
Zorika - Janet Perry
Józsi - Ion Buzea
Jonet - Adolf Dallapoza
Ilona - Colette Lorand
Dragotin - Heinz Friedrich
Milhàly/Moschu - Kurt Grosskurth
Kajetàn - Helmut Wallner
Jolàn - Marianne Becker
Julcsa - Gaby Banschenbach
Peria - Angelika Schütz
Münchner Rundfunkorchester and Chorus of the Bayerischer Rundfunk/Heinz
Wallberg
rec. Munich, 1974
Available separately as 101599
Der Graf von Luxembourg (The Count of Luxembourg)
(1909)
- Operetta film, 1972
René, Graf von Luxembourg - Eberhard Wächter
Angèle Didier - Lilian Sukis
Fürst Basil Basilowitsch - Erich Kunz
Armand Brissard - Peter Fröhlich
Juliette Vermont - Helga Papouschek
Gräfin Stasa Kokozow - Jane Tilden
Pélègrin - Kurt Sowinetz
Pawlowitsch - George Corten
Mentschikoff - Kut Zips
Symphony Orchestra Kurt Graunke, Munich/Walter Goldschmidt
rec. Munich (?) 1972
PCM Stereo; Picture Format: 4.3; Subtitles: Deutsch, English, French;
Region Code: 0
Available separately as 101626.
Paganini (1925) (1973 film of the operetta)
Niccolò Paganini - Antonio Theba
Princess Anna Elisa - Teresa Stratas
Prince Felice - Johannes Heesters
Bella Giretti - Dagmar Koller
Giacomo Pimpinelli - Peter Kraus
Count Carcasona - Fritz Tillmann
Count Hédouville - Wolfgang Luckshy
Bartucci - Klaus Havenstein
Symphony Orchestra Kurt Graunke, Munich/Wolfgang Ebert
rec. Munich 1973
Sound: PCM Stereo
Picture: NTSC/4:3 Colour
Region: 0
Subtitle Languages: DE (original language), GB, FR
Available separately as 101592.
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