For example, he dispensed with a usual happy ending in Paganini and relied on operatic sentiment and pathos. With additional new formats such as the “lyric operetta,” Franz Lehár left a significant mark on the development of the operetta as a genre. Among these is the work that was his international breakthrough and which at the same time created a new kind of “dance operetta,” The Merry Widow (premiere in 1905). His operettas such as The Merry Widow, The Count of Luxemburg, Gipsy Love, Paganini, Der Zarewitsch, The Land of Smiles, and Giuditta are among the most performed of the genre.Īs a main representative of the “Silver Era” of operettas, which is marked by an economic boom and an increasing internationalisation of the Viennese operetta, Lehár composed over 20 operettas. His works are still very much alive on stages worldwide even today.
We have received the following from our RISM contributor Sandra Föger (RISM Austria):Īpmarks the 150th birthday of Franz Lehár.
