The Merry Widow at Dresden's Semperoper

Semperoper today

Dresden's opera house, Semperoper, was destroyed in the aerial bombing of Dresden and the subsequent firestorm by the RAF and USAAF in 1945. Exactly 40 years later, on February 13, 1985 the opera house was reopened with the same opera that was performed just before it was destroyed, “Der Freischütz” by Carl Maria von Weber.

inside Semperoper for The Merry Widow

Last night the SO and I attended a performance of Franz Lehar's The Merry Widow at the Semperoper. We were on a day trip from Prague, where we are staying for the winter. It's difficult not to like this charming operetta of a  fictional country, Pontevedro's embassy in late 19th Century Paris. It is full of the best loved-music of Vienna (waltzes) and Paris (can can)--a winning combination full of ear and eye candy. It's a typical love story: boy meets girl, boy loses girl (in the past, before the start of the operetta), boy finds girl again and after several fitful starts and stops boy wins girl.

This performance is done in more or less modern dress instead of period costumes. The set is simple and uses pop art type props such a huge red mouth (out of the parted lips of which the “grisettes” [whores, one topless] emerge) and an enormous hand for a couch. It was all great fun. One thing impressed me especially. The Germans seem to be getting over the Nazi era and can laugh at themselves about it (in the theater anyhow). The portrait of the “king” on the embassy wall resembles Adolf Hitler with light bulbs in the eyes. When the ambassador salutes the portrait he gives a two-fingers extended salute that unmistakably resembles the American icon, a raised middle finger. 

a little nightcap of Gluwein

The lion's share of audience approval went to the can can dancers who did everything can can dancers are supposed to do including showing their derrieres. The main characters' performances were a disappointment however. They were charming enough, but they could not consistently project their voices enough to be heard above the orchestra. They were quite weak and barely audible in Act 1, seemed to be warming up a bit in Act 2, but lost it again in Act 3. Apart from that, all in all, a very enjoyable evening topped of with a nightcap at the nearby cafe.  
Copy and paste the link below for photos and a video of the show.

Principle Cast:

Baron Mirko Zeta:                                        Reinhard Dorn

Hanna Glawari [The Merry Widow]:         Barbara Senator

Graf Danilo Danilowitsch:                          Christopher Magiera

Valencienne:                                                 Nadja Mchantaf

Camille de Rosillion:                                  Aaron Pegram


http://www.semperoper.de/oper/repertoire/spielzeit-201011/detailansicht/details/53708/besetzung/1529.html