An Operetta Gala on Austria’s National Day – a Musical Greeting from Vienna to Sibiu

 

At the initiative of the Austrian Embassy in Romania, the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna presented an operetta gala on 26^th October 2007 in Sibiu, the European Capital of Culture 2007. The festive event was supported by the City of Vienna. The performers were the members of the Classical Operetta Ensemble Vienna. The programme offered a representative selection from the works of both the Golden and Silver Ages of Viennese Operetta. In keeping with the Johann Strauss Society’s mission to revive unjustly neglected treasures of the classical Viennese musical repertoire, Anna Ryan (soprano), Martina Claussen (mezzo-soprano), Peter Widholz (tenor), and Margit Fussi (piano) presented a number of rarely performed gems, specially selected for this programme in Sibiu.

The invitation to this concert was an honour in itself. Even more significant, however, was the fact that the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna had been selected to represent Austria artistically in the European Capital of Culture 2007 on Austria’s National Day. From the outset, this was seen as a prestigious distinction for our Society. What no one could have anticipated, however, was that the concert would turn out to be the most adventurous event in the Society’s 70-year history.

The aircraft carrying the artists was scheduled to arrive in Sibiu at 1:25 p.m. local time after a direct flight from Vienna. Due to dense fog, however, the plane was diverted at short notice to Timisoara, which is about a five-hour drive from Sibiu. The concert was set to start at 7: p.m., a deadline that, despite this unforeseen diversion, could still conceivably have been met. However, the coach that was supposed to transport all the passengers to Sibiu did not arrive until two hours after they had landed in Timisoara. The advanced age of the vehicle coupled with a connecting road pitted with potholes, made a punctual start of the concert impossible. Even so, the final stage of the journey was remarkable. Escorted by the Romanian police with flashing blue lights and blaring sirens, the coach sped through the streets of Sibiu at the fastest speed it was still capable of, heading straight for the city’s concert venue, Thalia  Hall. It finally dropped off the thoroughly shaken group of artists shortly before 10:00 p.m.

The concert had long been sold out. Although it ultimately began almost three hours later than originally scheduled, hardly anyone had requested a ticket refund. On the contrary, the audience – well aware of the unfortunate circumstances (just a week earlier, the same thing had happened to the members of the Vienna State Opera) – now seemed to be eagerly awaiting the performance. After each number, there was enthusiastic applause – frequently accompanied by cries of “bravo”- and after the final piece, the entire hall rose for a standing ovation. With “ Wien, du Stadt meiner Träume” as an encore, the artists ultimately expressed their gratitude for the ovation they had received – it was already past midnight.

A few days later, the Hermannstädter Zeitung reported on the concert as follows:

The Classical Operetta Ensemble , with the support of the City of Vienna, presented an enchanting evening of operetta in the packed Thalia Hall last Friday, exactly on the Austrian National Day. The artists Anna Ryan  (soprano), Martina Claussen (mezzo-soprano), Peter Widholz (tenor) and Margit Fussi (piano) performed operetta arias, duets and other excerpts from operettas by Johann Strauss, Franz von Suppé, Franz Lehár, Emmerich Kálmán, Leo Fall and Richard Heuberger. They had a huge success, were enthusiastically applauded and finally gave an encore. The Viennese artists had bad luck with landings. Owing to the dense fog in Sibiu, the Classical Sibiu. The performance started at 9:30 p.m. The slight distinction from the State Opera: they took their time to change clothes.

On the day following the concert, the Austrian Ambassador to Romania, Dr. Martin Eichtinger, hosted a reception at the “Evangelical Academy of Transylvania” in Sibiu. In his address, he described the exhibitions, the guest performance of the Vienna State Opera, and the concert given by the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna as the most significant contributions to the year’s events in Sibiu. In the light of this statement, the operetta gala in Sibiu may be regarded not only as the defining highlight of the Johann Strauss Society’s 2007 programme, but also as one of the greatest artistic achievements in its entire history.

 

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