On January 18th, 2018, the NCPA (National Centre of the Performing Arts) production of Franz Lehár's operetta Die Lustige Witwe was presented again. Under the baton of the renowned Austrian conductor Thomas Rösner, China NCPA Orchestra and China NCPA Chorus cooperated with Elena Rossi, Paul Armin Edelmann, Sieglinde Feldhofer, Emanuele D’Aguanno and other singers to jointly present the classical operetta, which has gained centenary popularity since its premiere.
With Thomas Rösner on the podium, the China NCPA Orchestra began with a joyful overture. Then a cheerful dancing party was shown on stage. Baron Mirko Zeta (LIU Songhu), Vicomte Cascada (WANG Hexiang) and Raoul de St Brioche (LIANG Yufeng) played humorous comedian roles to narrate the storyline of the operetta. Actor Eldos played the role of Njegus, a secretary in Pontevedro embassy in France. This role prompts impromptu comic gestures to please the crowd, gives flattery to the people and makes the audiences burst into laughter.
Elena Rossi, the soprano who has sung Hanna Glawari this round, appeared with gorgeous charm as the focus of attention at the dancing party. Hanna communicates with others excitedly and gracefully by singing Den man mir herzlich dargebracht. Compared with the rising and brilliant melody of Waltz at the time of Hanna’s appearance, the frivolous background music corresponds to Count Danilo Danilovitsch (Paul Armin Edelmann) so as to cast light on the image of a playboy. The love story between Hanna and Danilo is unfolded in this manner.
In Act II, Hanna deeply impressed audiences with her Vilja-Lied. In the context of a gentle melody, Hanna slowly expressed her innermost desire for love. Her golden voice led to a thunder of applause from all audiences. Meanwhile, Camille de Rosillon (Emanuele D’Aguanno) and Valencienne (Sieglinde Feldhofer) also interpret the sweetness and bitterness of love on stage. Through the duet Meine Brust ist voller Liebe, Camille’s desire and enthusiasm for love are intertwined with Valencienne’s contradictions and loyalty to marriage.
Despite the twists and turns, true love eventually prevailed after many tribulations in Act III, Love Duet by Hanna and Danilo revealed both their innermost emotions. The aria is frequently manifested in the form of a well-known Bei jedem Walzerschritt in concerts worldwide. And on the opera stage, scenes of dancing and singing underscored by music are so emotionally tense.
The dance adds more vitality to the masterpiece. Six Italian dancers performed traditional European folk dances, such as the Waltz, mazurka, kolo and cancan. The singers and choristers also danced trippingly on stage, and demonstrated the quintessence of the Vienna operetta. In order to help Chinese audiences appreciate the humorous and witty aspects of operetta art, LIU Songhu, WANG Hexiang and other singers added Chinese jokes into the lines so the audience responded to the artists’ wonderful performances with plenty of hearty laughter.
On January 19th, 2018, another cast for the ongoing second round will strike a pose. Chinese vocalist SONG Yuanming will star as Hanna, while Danilo will be played by German singer Thomas Laske. Tenor SHI Yijie and soprano LIU Lian will respectively play the roles of Camille and Valencienne.This will not only witness LIU Lian’s debut for Valencienne, but also mark the first-ever cooperation between both vocalists.
by NCPA
