Operetta One night in Venice: criticism and applause in Bad Ischl!

Operetta One night in Venice: criticism and applause in Bad Ischl!

The operetta "One night in Venice" by Johann Strauss son, who was premiered in 1883, is an integral part of the Austrian music tradition. But at this year's Lehár Festival in Bad Ischl, the audience was shared by the staging. BR classical reports that the original premiere already caused irritation, especially because of the text book by Friedrich Zell and Richard Genée. This irritation continues, because despite the awareness of the work, the action is often irritated and the image of women is criticized as outdated.

director Thomas Enzinger, who led the staging with respect for the original music, sees himself as a storyteller. He explained that adjustments were necessary to open the piece for a modern audience without reinventing it. Director Wolfgang Dosch, known for snappy implementations, was skeptical of updates, but ensured speed and movement, such as Lehár Festival highlighted.

popular melodies in a critical context

The music of Strauss remains imperishable through their melodies such as "Frutti di Mare", "All masked" and "Come to the gondola" and is described as worth listening by the spectators. Nevertheless, it is uncommon to the situation comedy, which the audience sometimes finds uncomfortable. The stage design by Stefan Wiel shows Klichen from Venice, so that there is no clear conceptualization. After a good two hours, the expectations only woke up in the end, which was more perceived as a compulsory exercise than the highlight. Despite the mixed reviews of the actors, there was a lot of applause-possibly a sign of the longing for the glorious days of waltz sailing.

In 2025, Johann Strauss's 200th birthday is celebrated, one of the most important sons in Austria and the "King of the Golden Operetta era". His works are still very popular today, and Richard Wagner once described Strauss as the "most musical skull of the present", according to an article on SWR . Strauss, influenced by women in his life, created pieces that are considered to be a secret national anthem of Austria with works such as "On the beautiful blue Danube".

his life was shaped by both passionate and tragic moments. His first wife, Henriette Treffz, decisively helped his success. Unfortunately, they also lost a child in 1878, which Strauss fell into a creative crisis. Nevertheless, he flourished again and married the much younger Angelika Dittrich in 1878, whose expectations of marriage were quickly disappointed. Strauss ’death in 1899 was a turning point for the musical landscape. After his death, Adele German ensured that Strauss's works were not forgotten.

The staging "One Night in Venice" at the Lehár Festival shows not only the challenges of the original work, but also the continued meaning of Strauss' music for our time. It remains to be seen how the reactions will be on the other performances and whether the audience can continue to be carried away by the music despite the small weaknesses of the operetta.