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The Final Waltz: Viennese Operetta and the Anschluss
THE FINAL WALTZ: Viennese Operetta and the Anschluss is a narrated recital written and curated by performer, writer, and music educator Daniel Neer, which celebrates the height of operetta’s popularity in Vienna and explores the challenges faced by its creators during Hitler’s annexation of Austria and the ensuing Holocaust. The program features some of the most famous melodies from Viennese Operetta’s golden and silver ages, and the spoken narration is accompanied by vintage and archival film and photography media from the era.
The rich tradition of Viennese Operetta reached a glorious apex in the late 1930’s with it’s opulent waltzes, frothy comedic plots, and sentimental charm, becoming the dominant form of entertainment for all classes in Vienna and forging a nationalistic voice of Austrian identity. A melting pot of European elegance, bubbly farce, brash political humor and exotic folklore from throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire and beyond, Viennese Operetta showcased the artistic abilities of a thriving Jewish middle class in Vienna, who also provided the bulk of its audience.
With the approaching storm of Berlin’s Third Reich and its strict Nuremberg laws preventing Jews from participating in the theater, Viennese Operetta withered in the months following Hitler’s annexation of Austria, marking an end to one of the most thriving periods in musical theater history and heralding the darkness of the ensuing Holocaust.
Join performer Daniel Neer, (Broadway, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, American Repertory Theater), as he explores the clash between Viennese Operetta and the Anschluss with stories of Jewish (and non-Jewish) composers, librettists, and performers in the wake of Hitler’s invasion, accompanied by the bittersweet melodies of some of the greatest songs of the era. In addition to standard hits by the “Waltz King” Johann Strauss II, there will also be favorites by Lehár, Kálmán, Benatzky, Abraham, and some rarely heard tunes by cabaret star Hermann Leopold and violin virtuoso Fritz Kreisler. Accompanied by pianist Suzanne Newcomb and directed by Ted Gorodetzky.
Event Links
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/2239565-0
