The 150th anniversary of Franz Lehár's birth was celebrated in 2021 - an anniversary that the Vienna Symphony Orchestra commemorated with a documentary and this concert recording. Lehar himself was the founder of the silver operetta era and was also one of the central artistic companions of the orchestra, which was founded in 1900. In the course of its history, the orchestra has performed more than 120 of his works at over 150 events. And Lehár himself stood at the rostrum of the symphony orchestra more than 20 times. His unforgettable melodies have become the symbol of a Viennese musical culture that is still very close to the orchestra's heart, as well as being one of its main areas of expertise. An important premiere venue for many of Lehár's operettas was the Theater an der Wien, where the Vienna Symphony Orchestra recorded this concert under the expert direction of Manfred Honeck.
The recording features such illustrious singers from the Vienna State Opera ensemble as the Finnish soprano Camilla Nylund and the tenors Piotr Beczala and Michel Schade, performing the most popular melodies and rousing numbers from Lehár's The Merry Widow, The Land of Smiles, The Tsarevich, The Count of Luxembourg and Giuditta. © Profil