The  Johann Strauss Society of Vienna
honoured its former president
with a performance of his operetta „ Die Gold’ne Meisterin“

 

Edmund Eysler ( 1874 – 1949 ) was alongside Franz Lehar, Oscar Straus, Leo Fall and Emmerich Kalman a well-known composer of the Silver Era of Viennese operetta. The typical aspects of the Viennese style of operetta music are most clearly identifiable in his pieces. On the initiative of his great grandson, Univ.Prof.Paul Wagner, and with the support of the district administration of Josefstadt, where Eysler spent the last decades of his life, the  Johann Strauss Society presented a concert performance of Eysler’s most successful operetta „ Die Gold’ne Meisterin“ on 22nd June 2024. The stateroom of the neo baroque Albert Hall in the 8th district of Vienna provided the perfect  setting for the performance. The event honouring the former president of the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna ( 1947 – 1949 ) was opened by Univ.Prof. Paul Wagner and Prof. Peter Widholz, the current president of the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna.

The performers ( members of the Classical Operetta Ensemble) were rapturously applauded by an enthusiastic audience, above all by the Wagner family, by Mag. Martin Fabisch, the Josefstadt district mayor, and by Maximilian Titz, the mayor of St.Andrä Wördern, where Eysler had his summer residence. The vocal performance was highly appreciated as well as the frequently comic presentation of Eysler’s cheerful music.

 

 

Helga Papouschek, who explained the plot of the operetta, also received tremendous applause. At the beginning of her career, she had worked together with Hubert Marischka, who had staged the premiere of „ Die Gold’ne Meisterin“ in 1927, and had performed together with Betty Fischer, the first singer of the key role. By continuing the tradition dating back to the premiere of the operetta , this performance met the fundamental endeavour of the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna to consistently maintain musical standards of authenticity.

A few days later Peter Widholz received an e-mail from Eysler’s great grandson, Univ.Prof.Paul Wagner, and his wife Malanie, thanking for the production and emphasizing its merits:

Dear Peter,

From all the performances of „Die Gold’ne Meisterin“ we have seen in the course of years, the concert performance in the Albert Hall was the most impressive. It exceeded all  our expectations. The outstanding accomplishments of the performers and the selection of songs underlined the artistic value of the piece. The explanatory texts during the performance and the connectining words emphasized the essential points of the plot, which focuses on social balance at a time of emerging conflicts and tensions. The theatregoers left the Albert Hall in a reflective mood with a number of imperishable earworms on their lips. This performance not only presented the composer’s unforgettable operetta melodies, but also highlighted the contemporary relevance of Eysler’s „Gold’ne Meisterin“.

Thank you, dear Peter, for this wonderful performance.

Kind regards,
Melanie and Paul

 

 

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Since its foundation in 1936 the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna has continuously produced not only works of Johann Strauss, but also of his successors. The inclusion, therefore, of Edmund Eysler started already in 1950, one year after his death, and has continued ever since.

Previous productions of Edmund Eysler’s works by the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna

2004

„Ernst ist das Leben, heiter die Kunst“ – Homage to Edmund Eysler on the occasion of his 130th anniversary (festival concert in Vienna)

 

2016

„Bruder Straubinger“ – scenic operetta production (performances in Vienna and Wiener Neustadt) Cf. The passage „ 2016: 80 Years of Johann Strauss Society of Vienna“

 

2018

Rededication of the Edmund Eysler’s monument in Schönborn Park in Vienna- Josefstadt (after a redesign / change of the layout of the park)

 

2024

„ Die Gold’ne Meisterin“ – concert performance of the operetta on the occasion of his 150th anniversary (in the 8th district of Vienna,where the composer spent the last decades of his life)

 

2025

1. „Der 12. März 1938 und dessen Folgen am Beispiel von Edmund Eysler“ – commemorative event at the Eysler monument in Schönborn Park on the 151st anniversary of the composer in memory of the end of World War II and the Holocaust
2. Memorial concert in St.Andrä Wördern, where the composer had his second home.

 

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