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Franz Lehár's The Land of Smiles at Manhattan School of Music

Apr. 01, 2015

Franz Lehár's <em>The Land of Smiles</em> at Manhattan School of Music

The Manhattan School of Music presents four performances of Franz Lehár's The Land of Smiles (Das Land Des Lächelns) from a new critical edition by Glocken Verlag. The performances, led by Jorge Parodi and with direction by Dona D. Vaughn, take place at the Ades Performance Space in New York from April 1-4.

Franz Lehár's The Land of Smiles (1929) features a libretto by Ludwig Herzer and Fritz Lohner and was composed expressly for the voice of tenor Richard Tauber, whose performances of the aria You Are My Heart's Delight became his signature.

Set in 1912 between the cities of Vienna and China, the opera follows Lisa, a Countess, who marries the Chinese Prince Sou-Chong, and returns with him to his homeland despite the warnings of her friends and family. In Beijing, however, she finds that she is unable to come to terms with his culture, in particular with the fact that he must take other wives. He assures her that his multiple marriages are just a formality, but unhappiness is inevitable, and she is locked in the palace where her love turns to hate. When Sou-Chong's beloved Lisa returns to Vienna and his sister becomes attached to a Viennese official, the prince is left alone though he must still respect the customary rules of his order: always smile.  

For more details on Franz Lehár, visit josef-weinberger.com.

The Land of Smiles (Das Land Des Lächelns) (1929)
an operetta in 3 acts
English translation by Harry Graham/Conrad Carter/Fred Tysh
music adaptation by Hans May
1.1.2.1-2.2.2.0-timp.perc-hp-str
100'

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