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FRANZ LEHAR

Franz Lehár’s father was a bandmaster in the Austrian army, and served in many different garrisons in the Austro-Hungarian empire, with his family accompanying him. Franz learnt to play the violin and piano before he could read or write and his mother encouraged him to improvise freely on the piano. By the age of eleven, he had composed his first song and was a member of his uncle’s summer spa orchestra in Bad Ullersdorf in Moravia. When he was twelve years old he entered the Prague Conservatory where he studied violin and theory, and took private lessons in composition from Fibich. He also came into contact with Dvořák, who is reputed to have advised him, ‘Hang up your fiddle, my boy, and write music!’

Called up for military service Lehár played in his father’s military band, sharing a desk with another future composer of operetta, Leo Fall. He was made a bandmaster in 1890, serving first in Losoncz before moving to the naval base of Pola on the Adriatic, where, with an orchestra of over one hundred players at his disposal, he was able to perfect his orchestration technique. Together with his first theatre librettist, the naval officer Felix Falzari, he composed the operetta Kukuška, which was performed with little acclaim in Budapest and Leipzig in 1896. Having resigned from the army in the hope of success Lehár was now obliged to re-enlist, being assigned as bandmaster in Trieste. When his father retired he took over his position in Budapest, before being appointed in 1899 to another regiment based in Vienna. Already active as a composer of marches and dances, he achieved international recognition with the composition of the ‘name waltz’ for Princess Metternich’s ‘Gold and Silver Ball’ in January 1902.

As a result of this success Lehár left the army for a second time, conducting firstly in the Prater in Vienna and then at the Theater an der Wien; but when two of his operettas, Wiener Frauen and Der Rastelbinder, were performed simultaneously at the Theater an der Wien and its rival the Carltheater he was obliged to resign from his conducting post at the former, and decided to pursue a career solely as a composer. After two further operettas failed during 1904, Lehár struck gold with his setting of a libretto originally intended for Heuberger, Die lustige Witwe. First performed at the end of 1905 at the Theater an der Wien this quickly became a huge international success, with numerous productions throughout Europe and North America, and was followed during 1909 and 1910 by the composition of Das Fürstenkind, Der Graf von Luxemburg and Zigeunerliebe, which also achieved international success. As Lehár commented later, ‘I stumbled blindly into writing operetta, without any idea of what I was doing, but this helped me to find my own style,’ and he brought to the world of operetta in these and other works an intensity of feeling and depth of characterisation that it had not previously known.

During World War I Lehár was active as a conductor, but the subsequent dismantling of the Austro-Hungarian empire destroyed the world with which he was familiar. However, his disorientation was relatively short: in 1921 he came into contact with the tenor Richard Tauber, whose voice and consummate stage technique had an immediately positive effect upon him. Between 1925 and 1934 he wrote six operettas, each created especially for Tauber and containing a constant stream of memorable songs, duets and ensembles: Paganini (1925), Der Zarewitsch (1926), Frederica (1928), Das Land des Lächelns (1929), Schön ist die Welt (1931) and Giuditta (1934). The last-named was first performed at the Vienna State Opera (the first operetta to be so honoured) with Tauber and Jarmila Novotná in the leading roles, and the première was relayed by one hundred and twenty radio stations. Giuditta was to be Lehár’s last major work. He had founded his own publishing company in 1935, Glocken Verlag, taking over and managing the publication and performance rights of many of his compositions, and during World War II he remained in Austria; the fact that Die lustige Witwe was a favourite work of Hitler protected him and his wife, who was Jewish, although several of his collaborators, also Jewish, died in concentration camps.

Following the death of his wife in Zürich in 1947, Lehár returned to the summer house in Bad Ischl which he had purchased long ago with the aid of royalties from Die lustige Witwe, and died there in 1948, leaving it to the town of Bad Ischl as a Lehár museum. Lehár made some commercial recordings in Vienna during the late 1930s and early 1940s, conducted radio concerts of his music as well as complete performances of several of his operettas and recorded for Decca after World War II. These recordings provide a first-hand insight into the style of performance which he envisaged for his music, and also demonstrate that he was a more than competent conductor. They well illustrate Lehár’s comment about his intentions as a composer: ‘I want to write music for and around human beings: their hearts and souls, their emotions and passions, their joy and sadness.’

View by Role: Classical Composer | Conductor | Non-Classical Composer
Role: Classical Composer 
Album Title
Catalogue No  Work Category 
101 CLASSICS - The Best Loved Classical Melodies Naxos
8.508004
Concertos, Ballet, Orchestral, Chamber Music, Instrumental, Music Education, Choral - Sacred, Choral - Secular, Opera
A NEW YEAR'S CONCERT Naxos
8.571097
Orchestral
AMOR, VIDA DE MI VIDA (Domingo, Martinez, Lopez Cobos) (Blu-ray, NTSC) Medici Arts DVD
2072474
Opera DVD, Classical Concert
AMOR, VIDA DE MI VIDA (Domingo, Martinez, Lopez Cobos) (NTSC) Medici Arts DVD
2072478
Opera DVD, Classical Concert
BERLIN OPERA NIGHT (NTSC) EuroArts
2053588
Opera DVD, Classical Concert
BEST OF JOAN SUTHERLAND (THE) (NTSC) Opus Arte
OAF4007D
Opera DVD, Classical Concert
BEST OF OPERETTA, Vol. 1 Naxos
8.550941
Vocal, Opera, Operetta
BEST OF OPERETTA, VOL. 1 Naxos
8.570049
Orchestral, Vocal, Opera, Operetta
BEST OF OPERETTA, Vol. 2 Naxos
8.550942
Film and TV Music, Operetta
BEST OF OPERETTA, Vol. 3 Naxos
8.550943
Film and TV Music, Operetta
BJORLING, Jussi: Bjorling Collection, Vol. 1: Opera and Operetta Recordings (1930-1938) Naxos Historical
8.110722
Opera, Operetta
CAPRICER MED OD, Vol. 3 (1976-1981) BIS
BIS-NL-CD-5022
Chamber Music, Vocal, Choral - Secular
CROOKS, Richard: Neapolitan Love Song (1924-1933) Naxos Nostalgia
8.120639
Nostalgia, Operetta
DANSKE REVY (DEN): 1900-1910, Vol. 1 (Revy 1) Dacapo
DCCD 9801
Vocal
GOLDEN 20's (THE) (Brock, Edelhagen, Kowalski, Morgenroth, Prey) Capriccio
C49226-9
Chamber Music, Vocal, Film and TV Music, Instrumental
GOLDEN 20s (THE) (Kowalski, Prey, Edelhagen, Kuhn) Capriccio
C49225-2
Chamber Music, Vocal, Film and TV Music, Instrumental
GREAT OPERA ARIAS - A Gala Concert from the Royal Opera House, 1996 (Domingo, Alagna, Gheorghiu) (NTSC) Opus Arte
OAR3109D
Opera DVD, Classical Concert
Great Waltzes Naxos
8.553337
Ballet, Orchestral
GREAT WALTZES (The) - The Essential Collection Naxos
8.578041-42
Ballet, Orchestral
LEANDER, Zarah: Vill ni se en stjarna? - 20 Original Recordings (1931-1954) Naxos Nostalgia
8.120806
Nostalgia
LEHAR, F.: Gold and Silver / Giuditta / Paganini / Der Zarewitsch / Die lustige Witwe [Operettas] (Froschauer) Capriccio
C10819
Orchestral, Operetta
LEHAR, F.: Lustige Witwe (Die) (The Merry Widow) (Semperoper Dresden, 2007) (NTSC) EuroArts
2056818
Opera DVD
LEHAR, F.: Merry Widow (The) (San Francisco Opera, 2001) (Blu-ray, HD) Opus Arte
OABD7055D
Opera DVD
LEHAR, F.: Merry Widow (The) [Operetta] Capriccio
C60077-2
Operetta
LEHAR, F.: Merry Widow (The) [Operetta] (Sung in English) (Highlights) (1952) Naxos Classical Archives
9.80529
Operetta
LEHAR, F.: Vocal Music (Froschauer) Capriccio
C10867
Operetta
LEHAR, F.: Zigeunerliebe (Groh, Seegers, Dobrindt) (1950) Naxos Classical Archives
9.80744-45
Operetta
LEHAR: Land des Lachelns (Das) (Ackermann, Schwarzkopf) (1953) and excerpts from Lehar Operettas Naxos Historical
8.111016-17
Operetta
LEHAR: Le comte de Luxembourg / Frederique / Giuditta (excerpts) (ORTF, Sibert) (1966-1980) Naxos Historical
8.111010
Operetta
LEHAR: Lehar Conducts Lehar (1947) Naxos Historical
8.110857
Orchestral
LEHAR: Lustige Witwe (Die) (NTSC) Arthaus Musik
100451
Opera DVD
LEHAR: Merry Widow (The) (Schwartzkopf, Kunz, Gedda) (1953) Naxos Historical
8.111007
Operetta
LEHAR: The Merry Widow (NTSC) Opus Arte
OA0837D
Opera DVD
MAIDEN'S PRAYER (THE) - LEAVES FROM GRANDMOTHER'S PIANO ALBUM Naxos
8.550646
Instrumental
Majestic Marches Naxos
8.550370
Ballet, Orchestral, Film and TV Music
MARTINEZ, Ana Maria: SOPRANO SONGS AND ARIAS Naxos
8.557827
Vocal, Opera, Operetta
MELCHIOR, Lauritz: American Recordings (1946-47) Naxos Historical
8.111239
Vocal, Film and TV Music, Musicals, Opera, Operetta
MEMORIES OF OLD VIENNA THEATRE (Gueden) (1954) Naxos Classical Archives
9.80285
Choral - Secular
NISHIZAKI, Takako: Fritz Kreisler Edition, Vol. 10 Naxos
8.557876
Chamber Music
OPERA FAVOURITES (Opera Australia) (NTSC) Opus Arte
OAF4020D
Classical Concert
OPERA NIGHT (Deutsche Oper Berlin, 2007) (PAL) Arthaus Musik
101455
Classical Concert
Operetta Arias (Counter-tenor): Kowalski, Jochen - LEHAR, F. / ABRAHAM, P. / STOLZ, R. / MILLOCKER, K. / KUNNEKE, E. / STRAUSS II / LINCKE, P. Capriccio
C10835
Vocal, Operetta
Operetta Favourites - KLASSISKA FAVORITER OPERETT Naxos
8.503095
Orchestral, Vocal, Film and TV Music, Opera, Operetta
OPERETTA HIGHLIGHTS Naxos
8.571083
Orchestral, Opera, Operetta
OPERNGALA - 16. Festliche Operagala fur die AIDS-Stiftung Naxos
8.551233
Orchestral, Opera, Operetta
Orchestral Music - STRAUSS II / BRAHMS, J. / LEHAR, F. / STRAUSS, J. / MENDELSSOHN, Felix (Berlin Symphony Orchestra: Live in Concert) Solo Musica
SM134
Orchestral
PANDA CLASSICS - Issue Nos. 1-3 (3CD box set) Naxos
8.503204
Concertos, Ballet, Orchestral, Instrumental, Wind Ensemble/Band Music
Romantic Broadway Naxos International
8.990043
Orchestral, Operetta
ROMANTIC PIANO FAVOURITES, Vol. 5 Naxos
8.550168
Instrumental
SCHMIDT, Joseph: Arias and Songs (1929-36) Naxos Historical
8.111318-19
Vocal, Film and TV Music, Opera, Operetta
SPRING IN VIENNA - STRAUSS II, / LEHAR, F. / STOLZ, R. / KREISLER, F. / SUPPE, F. von Capriccio
C49152-1
Orchestral, Chamber Music, Film and TV Music, Choral - Secular, Operetta
SPRING PARADE Capriccio
C49364
Concertos, Orchestral, Chamber Music, Vocal, Film and TV Music, Instrumental, Choral - Secular, Opera, Operetta
STARS of the GOLDEN ERA Naxos Nostalgia
8.120754-55
Vocal, Nostalgia
STRAUSS II / LEHAR / TCHAIKOVSKY: Great Waltzes Naxos
8.571076
Orchestral, Operetta
TASTE OF THE ARTS, VOL. 3 (NTSC) Opus Arte
OA0211D
Opera DVD, Classical Concert
TAUBER, Richard: 18 Favourites (1927-1939) Naxos Nostalgia
8.120513
Nostalgia
TAUBER, Richard: Love's Serenade (1939-1947) Naxos Nostalgia
8.120752
Nostalgia
TAUBER, Richard: Operetta Arias (1921-1932) Naxos Historical
8.110779
Vocal, Opera, Operetta
THE MAIDEN'S PRAYER AND OTHER PIANO Naxos
8.550646DX
Chamber Music, Instrumental
ULTIMATE OPERETTA ALBUM (The) Naxos
8.578037-38
Orchestral, Vocal, Film and TV Music, Opera, Operetta
ULTIMATE VOCAL COLLECTION (THE) Naxos Nostalgia
8.120863-64
Nostalgia
VERDI: Traviata (La) (La Scala) (1928) Naxos Historical
8.110110-11
Vocal, Opera, Operetta
Viennese Favourites, Vol. 1 Naxos
8.553281
Orchestral
VIENNESE OPERETTA GEMS (1927-1949) Naxos Historical
8.110292
Vocal, Opera, Operetta

Role: Conductor 
Album Title
Catalogue No  Work Category 
LEHAR: Land des Lachelns (Das) (Ackermann, Schwarzkopf) (1953) and excerpts from Lehar Operettas Naxos Historical
8.111016-17
Operetta
LEHAR: Lehar Conducts Lehar (1947) Naxos Historical
8.110857
Orchestral
TAUBER, Richard: 18 Favourites (1927-1939) Naxos Nostalgia
8.120513
Nostalgia
ULTIMATE VOCAL COLLECTION (THE) Naxos Nostalgia
8.120863-64
Nostalgia

Role: Non-Classical Composer 
Album Title  Catalogue No  Work Category 





 
 
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