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777906-2
Originally recorded in 2019
Classical
Opera
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About
It was a waltz that led to the success of Die Dollarprinzessin, not only in America (where the action is set) but also around the globe. Nevertheless, during its Broadway debut the usual inserts by American composers were an absolute must, including the hornpipe quintet “A Boat Sails on Wednesday” by Jerome Kern, who until then was largely unknown. Although the New York Times found “this burlesque Apache dance” to be “very amusing,” it nevertheless emphasized that “Dr. Fall’s music nonetheless is situated high above such trivialities.” The libretto was written by the authorial team formed by Alfred Maria Willner and Fritz Grünbaum. The main subject of the action: the refusal of an impoverished but proud man to let himself be bought by a woman who is just as proud but rich. The premiere on 2 November 1907 at the Theater an der Wien was loudly applauded, but the Berlin performance on 6 June 1908 became a triumph. When the five hundredth performance then was celebrated in 1909, Die Dollarprinzessin had already conquered London and New York. The 428 London performances paved the way for The Dollar Princess throughout all the colonies of the British Empire and opened the door taking it to the countries of the Romance languages, especially in South America, where La Princesa de los Dólares continues to belong to the repertoire even today!
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Reviews
“… Christiane Libor uses her vibrant soprano to convey the independent spirit of Alice, the dollar princess of the title. Her love interest is Ferdinand von Bothmer as the playboy Freddy. He has a robust voice with a pleasant sound although he is slightly stretched by his opening waltz song on this occasion. The ubiquitous second couple are played by Ralf Simon as Hans and Magdalena Hinterdobler as Daisy. Mr Simon is in top form for his entrance aria; his plangent voice includes a welcome heft to the sound and doesn’t become unwieldy. Ms Hinterdobler sings and acts her dialogue with great character. Things do seem to come to life whenever she is in the picture. The same could also be said of Angela Mehling as the irrepressible Olga. The Munich Radio Orchestra sound splendid under the loving care of Maestro Ulf Schirmer. He manages to imbue the proceedings with the correct sense of Viennese style that is needed to unearth these long sleeping operettas for a modern audience. The sound engineers have done an excellent job at preserving the feel of this live occasion. There is plenty of dialogue included but alas no libretto or translation to enjoy it with. The laughter of the audience is occasionally heard but no stage noises which lead me to think this was a concert performance. This is a pleasant romp through “operetta land” that has been reliably cast and well recorded. “
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