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Artists from the

Budapest Operetta and


Musical Theatre:

Enik Lvai
Attila Dolhai
Szilvi Szendy
Kroly Peller
accompanied on the piano
by Krisztin Balassa

Greatest Hits of Emerich Kalmans operetta on the occasion of the 100 th anniversary of its opening night

8 february 2016 8pm


Budapest Vienna Moscow Varadin Brussels Delhi

On the initiative of the Balassi Institute


Princess Csardas is debuting a world tour
An operetta in the shadow of the war
Emmerich Klmn wrote: It is impossible to compose music when you hear the
racket of the canons and machine guns from the front. Nevertheless once the
partition was achieved it became one of the most successfull operetta.
Emmerich Klmn composed the first act in May 1914 in Marienbad but he will
be interrupted by the outbreak of World War I. He pursues his work a year later.
When the troops of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy drive back with several
hundred kilometres the Russian assailants it was a great opportunity to present
the operetta for the first time on the 17th November 1915 to celebrate the
victory.
It is immediately a huge success. There will be more than 500 hundred
performances only in Vienna. Despite World War I, Princess Csrds was
performed in Sweden, Finland, Poland, Russia, Italy, and Budapest in November
1916 and finally, after a decade, made it to Broadway. The Brit scenarist P.G.
Wodehouse who adapted the work in English said. Princess Csrds does not
only excel out of this talented mans works, it is downright the greatest music of
all time.
According to operetta statistics, there isnt a single minute on earth without one
of the melodies composed by Klmn being played in a theatre, a concert hall, in
a film on TV or on radio being played. And in most cases it is an excerpt of
Princess Csrds. This is how Klmn becomes the most popular operetta
composer of his time.

The story
It is about a hopeless love. Prince Edvin is madly in love with Szilvia, the star of
the Orpheum in Budapest but his aristocratic family is of course against this
relationship. Edvins parents will do whatever it takes to lure back their son to
Vienna in order to marry him with the young countess Stzy. For Vereczky Szilvia
they organize a contract as a dancer in a music-hall in New-York. Count Boni, the
headwaiter of the Orfeum, Miksa and his twin brother, Alfonz the butler of the
House of Lippert-Weilersheim and Uncle Feri, friend of count Boni are pacting
to help the lovers. Uncle Feri will be the biggest plotter even luring Edvins
mother into a very delicate inflangrante.

But what is an operetta? And whats a Hungarian operetta?


It is a musical genre written with the particularities of an opera but mixed with
smooth and haunting melodies. The main theme is love, mad love which is
treated with humor. The scenario is combined with the musical intermezzos
of the orchestra (opening, interlude arias, duet, tersest or quartet, chorals)
accompanied by ballet scenes. The Hungarian Operetta is the only musical form
which received a particular mention in the Hungarian cultural heritage.
The musical fame of the operetta is thanks to the Hungarians. In the first part of
the XX century, the world had known four Hungarian musical composers: Bla
Bartk, Zoltn Kodly, Franz Lehr and Emmerich Klmn. Two of them devoted
their life to operettas. Thanks to Klmn and Lehr, this musical genre is now
worldwide well-known: Princess Csrds and The Merry Widow is as much
famous as Bartks Prince Bluebeards Castle. Opera singers such as Placido
Domingo or Anna Netrebko all have in their repertoire arias or duets of these
two operettas. Sometimes, they even play it entirely. Among 140 oeuvres that
Domingo knows, one of them is the Merry Widow. Luciano Pavarotti does not
sing Mozart but he performs I gave you my heart, the so-called aria from
Lehrs World of smile. These musicians of high renown arent embarrassed or
ashamed for having an operetta, a Hungarian operetta in their program.

On the initiative of the Balassi Institute


Princess Csardas is debuting a world tour
We are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first presentation of Princess
Csrds. On this occasion the greatest hits of the operetta will be performed at
the Balassi Institute in four other European and Asian cities with the participation
of excellent artists from the Budapest Operetta Theatre. The first stop of the
tour was on the 7th January 2016 at the Balassi Institute in Budapest.

Distribution :
Enik Lvai Szilvia
Attila Dolhai Edvin
Szilvi Szendy Stzi
Kroly Peller Bni
1. Aria of Sylva Heia, heia, in den
Bergen ist mein Heimatland

8. Duet of Stasi and Edwin Machen


wirs den Schwalben nach

2. Duet of Feri and Boni Die Mdis


vom Chantant

9. Duet of Sylva and Edwin


Weit du es noch

3. Duet of Sylva and Edwin Mdchen


gibt es wunderfeine doch wer liebt

10. Liebchen, mich reit es hurra,


hurra, man lebt ja nur einmal

4. Aria of Boni Ganz ohne Weiber


geht die Chose nicht

11. Hajmasi Peter, Hajmasi Paul

5. Trio of Sylva, Edwin and Boni


O, jag dem Glck nicht nach
6. Walz Erstrahlen die Lichter im
hellen Glanz
7. Aria of Edwin Heut Nacht bab ich
getrumt von dir

12. Das ist die Liebe


13. Tanzen mcht ich, jauchzen
mcht ich
14. Jaj Mamn, Bruderherz ich kauf
mir die Welt!

With the support of the Remembrance Comity of the Centenary of World War I.

Further information
www.hungarianculture.be

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