Performance series of the operetta “Alt-Wien” marking the 200^th birthday of Joseph Lanner

 

Background

Already the second event in the history of the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna was the performance of a stage work: under the musical direction of its first president, Felix Weingartner, “Die Fledermaus” was performed at the Vienna State Opera on 15^th February 1937. Further operetta performances of the Vienna State Opera at the Volksoper were organized by the Strauss Society within the framework of its festival weeks in 1949 and 1950. All of these, however, were productions of the State Opera or the Volksoper that were incorporated into the programme of the Strauss Society. Throughout the entire 20^th century, the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna did not produce any operettas of its own. This development was reserved for the 21^st century.

The triggering event

In 2001, the 200^th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Lanner (1801 – 1843), the “father of the Viennese waltz”, was celebrated. As Lanner wrote almost exclusively instrumental music, and the Johann Strauss Society at that time had no instrumental ensemble of its own, but did have a vocal ensemble, it was decided to revive a genuine rarity. In 1911, the operetta “Alt-Wien”  (“Old Vienna”) had premiered successfully at Vienna’s Carltheater. Its conductor and arranger, Emil Stern, had based the entire score on music by Joseph Lanner. About 100 participants were involved in the production. Since the subsidy granted by the City of Vienna did not suffice for a production in its original form, Prof. Mag. Widholz, in its role as production manager of the Johann Strauss Society, created a chamber version. This version required only ten singers, who also took on most of the choral passages, ensuring that almost the entire musical substance of the work was preserved. The instrumental accompaniment was provided by piano. The dramaturgical and textual adaptations made necessary by this arrangement were also handled by Peter Widholz, who was responsible for directing the production as well.

The premiere

On 3^rd March 2001, the Johann Strauss Society presented its first operetta production with its own ensemble. The premiere took place in the magnificent, historically significant Ehrbar Hall in Vienna’s fourth district, a venue steeped in musical history, where great composers such as Anton Bruckner, Johannes Brahms, Pietro Mascagni, and Gustav Mahler had already given concerts. The event was held under the patronage of Anne Sadolin, a descendant of Joseph Lanner, whom, thanks to international contacts, the Johann Strauss Society had managed to locate in Denmark. She travelled to Vienna with her two school-age children to attend the premiere in person. Among the distinguished guests from the fields of art, culture, and society, the president of the Johann Strauss Society, Prof. Franz Mailer, had the honour to welcome an international guest of honour for the first time – someone who should play an important role in the years ahead, Josefina Rodica, wife of the Romanian ambassador in Vienna and president of the Romanian Strauss Society.

Shortly before the premiere the leading actress had to cancel. The soprano Christine Reiter stepped in at short notice to play Lini’s part. It was no easy task, but it added to the excitement of the evening. Although presented with a reduced cast, the premiere ultimately proved to be a great success. The audience in the Ehrbar Hall was impressed by the ensemble’s performance and cheered every singer enthusiastically. Christine Reiter had proved herself brilliantly in every respect.

Reactions

Kammerschauspielerin Marianne Nentwich from the Theater in der Josefstadt, who was present in the audience, expressed her admiration for the high quality of acting, direction and the vocal standard of the performance. Even weeks later, President Prof. Franz Mailer received highly positive feedback. Three examples from abroad are given below:

Dear Professor Mailer,
The descendants of Joseph Lanner would like to thank the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna as well as all the performers for the delightful Lanner evening “Old Vienna” on 3^rd March 2001. We are deeply moved that the memory of our great-great-great-grandfather Joseph Lanner is still held in such high esteem. We wish you every success for the upcoming performances.
Kind regards,
Vang and Anne Lanner-Sadolin (son and daughter of Anne Sadolin, Denmark)

Dear Professor,
….Since the age of six, I have attended opera, operetta and ballet performances. I have always dreamt of coming to Vienna one day. The performance of this Lanner operetta by the ensemble of your Society was exactly what I have longed for throughout my life. It was a clear sign of respect that Austria pays to a brilliant composer of its great cultural past. I was deeply impressed by the high artistic quality of this professional production…
(Josefina Rodica, wife of the Romanian Ambassador to Austria)

….We would like to emphasize that the operetta is a fully professional production. The Johann Strauss Society of Vienna is the only organization capable of mounting such an undertaking. Our congratulations on this demanding achievement.
(Newsletter, magazine of the British Strauss Society, August 2001)

The consequences

After such a successful premiere evening, it is hardly surprising that the Strauss Society promptly took its first operetta production on tour across Austria’s federal provinces. Up to 1998 – for more than the first six decades of its history – the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna had given performances exclusively in Vienna. In 1999, the centenary year of Johann Strauss’s death, it began presenting productions not only abroad but also in other Austrian provinces. Following the performances in Lower Austria  (Stadttheater Baden), Styria (Graz Opera House), and Upper Austria (Festspielhaus Bad Ischl), another province was added during the “Old Vienna” tour: Burgenland. Everywhere, the production met with the same enthusiasm as its Vienna premiere.

On 18^th July 2001, the production returned once more. The Vienna summer festival “Klangbogen” had invited it for an open-air performance in the courtyard of the baroque Palais Schönborn in Vienna’s Josefstadt district. Ticket sales had opened in February, and the performance was sold out within two weeks. This final staging of “Old Vienna” was greeted with just as much enthusiasm as the previous ones.

Significance

In 1996, the vocal ensemble of the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna made its first public appearance in a concert. The great success of this debut led to further concerts on an ever larger scale, both at home and abroad. However, there was initially no intention of producing a full operetta. The ensemble was only four years old when the Lanner commemorative year prompted it to mount an operetta production. Up to the premiere of “Alt Wien”, this project was still regarded as an exception, and there were no plans to stage further productions. But the unexpectedly great success changed everything. On the very evening of the premiere, the Society’s president, Prof. Franz Mailer, urged the artistic director, Prof. Peter Widholz, to initiate productions of Johann Strauss operettas. This marked the starting point of the Johann Strauss Operetta Cycle, which was completed within 13 years. At the same time, the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna expanded its activities. It began staging operettas by other composers. In this broadened field of work, and thanks to its ongoing commitment to authenticity, the Johann Strauss Society was able to surpass its previous successes. Just two years later, it presented its first operetta production with a full orchestra, followed by a television recording and a CD release. This success ultimately led the ensemble to adopt the name “Classical Operetta Ensemble Vienna”. Since then, the ensemble’s success and its international recognition have repeatedly confirmed the appropriateness of this name.

 

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