''The Land of Smiles'' (German: ') is a 1929 romantic

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

in three acts by

Franz Lehár Franz Lehár ( ; ; 30 April 1870 – 24 October 1948) was an Austro-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas, of which the most successful and best known is '' The Merry Widow'' (''Die lustige Witwe''). Life and career L ...

. The German language

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

was by

Ludwig Herzer Ludwig Herzer, born Ludwig Herzl, (born 18 March 1872 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, died 17 April 1939 in St. Gallen, Switzerland) was an Austrian physician and librettist. Life Ludwig Herzl, later better known under his pseudonym ''Ludwig Her ...

and

Fritz Löhner-Beda Fritz Löhner-Beda (24 June 1883 – 4 December 1942), born Bedřich Löwy, was an Austrian librettist, lyricist and writer. Once nearly forgotten, many of his songs and tunes remain popular today. He was murdered in Auschwitz III Monowitz conce ...

. The performance duration is about 100 minutes. This was one of Lehár's later works, and has a bittersweet ending which the Viennese loved. The title refers to the supposed Chinese custom of smiling, whatever happens in life. (The leading character, Prince Sou-Chong has a song early in the show, "" ("Always smiling") which describes this.)

The ''Tauberlied''

Lavishly produced, the show was built largely around the performance of the tenor

Richard Tauber Richard Tauber (16 May 1891, Linz – 8 January 1948, London) was an Austrian lyric tenor and film actor. He performed the tenor role in numerous operas, including ''Don Giovanni'' by Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte. Early life Richard Tauber was b ...

, a close friend of Lehár, for whom he customarily wrote a ' – a signature tune exploiting the exceptional qualities of his voice – in each of his later operettas. On this occasion it was " Dein ist mein ganzes Herz" ("You are my heart's delight"), probably the most famous of all the '. Tauber also appeared in the show in London, singing many encores of his song.

Performance history

The work was originally produced under the title ' (''The Yellow Jacket''). This was presented at the , Vienna, on 9 February

1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...

with

Hubert Marischka Hubert Marischka (27 August 1882 – 4 December 1959), brother of Ernst Marischka, was an Austrian operetta tenor, actor, film director and screenwriter. Career Marischka was born in Brunn am Gebirge, the son of Jiří (or Johann) Marisch ...

as Sou-Chong. It was not a great success, and Lehár later revised it, under the new title of ', which was first performed, at the , on 10 October 1929. Tauber reprised his role in London (1931 and 1932) South Africa (1939) and New York (1946), as well as in Vienna in 1930 (again at the ) and in 1938 (at the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...

and also in Prague). Tauber also sang it in London and on tour throughout Britain between 1940 and 1942. The opera was first staged in the United States at the

Boston Opera House The Boston Opera House, also known as the Citizens Bank Opera House, is a performing arts and esports venue located at 539 Washington St. in Boston, Massachusetts. It was originally built as the B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre, a movie palace in ...

in 1933 with soprano Nancy McCord as Lisa.

Sadler's Wells Opera English National Opera (ENO) is a British opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in E ...

produced it in London in the late 1950s, after the success of Lehár's ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' ( ) is an operetta by the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The Libretto, librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein (writer), Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's ...

'' starring June Bronhill had rescued the company from bankruptcy. Starring Charles Craig, Elizabeth Fretwell and Bronhill, the show did not attract the same audiences as ''The Merry Widow''. In 1991, Takarazuka Revue's Snow Troupe performed a Japanese language version of ''Das Land des Lächelns.'' The production was adapted and directed by Nobuo Murakami, and starred Maki Ichiro as Prince Sou-Chong,

Risa Junna is a Japanese actress, singer, and voice actress. She was part of Takarazuka Revue's Snow Troupe and Flower Troupe. During her time in the Revue, she specialized in female roles (''musumeyaku''). She was the ''musumeyaku'' top star from 1995 to ...

as Lisa, and Yōka Wao as Gustav von Pottenstein. In 2017 Opernhaus Zürich performed ''Das Land des Lächelns'' and recorded it on DVD and Blu-ray. During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, they shared the recording for free to allow those in isolation to enjoy the opera.

Roles

Synopsis

The operetta is set in Vienna and China in 1912. In act 1 in Vienna, the heroine Countess Lisa marries a Chinese prince and returns with him to his homeland despite the warnings of her friends and family. In act 2, in Peking, she finds that she is unable to come to terms with his culture, and especially that he must take other wives. He assures her that it is just a formality, but unhappiness is inevitable, and she is locked in the palace. Her love changes to hate. In act 3, Prince Sou-Chong is left alone while his beloved Lisa returns to her homeland. His sister, Princess Mi had also become attached to the Viennese official Gustav, and so the ending is doubly sad. But the prince respects the rule of his custom: always smile.

Film adaptations

The operetta was adapted into film several times. * ''

The Land of Smiles ''The Land of Smiles'' (German: ') is a 1929 romantic operetta in three acts by Franz Lehár. The German language libretto was by Ludwig Herzer and Fritz Löhner-Beda. The performance duration is about 100 minutes. This was one of Lehár's late ...

'' (1930) directed by

Max Reichmann Max Reichmann (1884-1958) was a German film director active during the silent film, silent and early sound eras. Before making his own films, Reichmann worked as an assistant director on several E.A. Dupont productions. After graduating to directi ...

and starring

. Hella Kürty and Willi Stettner reprised their original stage roles of Mi and Gustl, while Lisa was sung by Margit Suchy, replacing Vera Schwarz who had sung in the original Berlin stage production. * ''

'' (1952) directed by

Hans Deppe Hans Deppe (; 12 November 1897 – 23 September 1969) was a German actor and film director. Filmography As director As actor References External links

* 1897 births 1969 deaths German male film actors German television dire ...

and Erik Ode and starring Mártha Eggerth and Jan Kiepura. * In 1961, Gerhard Riedmann appeared in a television film where his singing voice was supplied by

Fritz Wunderlich Friedrich "Fritz" Karl Otto Wunderlich (26 September 1930 – 17 September 1966) was a German lyric tenor, famed for his singing of the Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart repertory and various lieder. He died in an accident aged 35. Biography Wunde ...

. * Another television version was filmed in 1974 with

René Kollo René Kollo (born 20 November 1937) is a German operatic tenor, especially known for his Wagnerian Heldentenor roles. He also performed a wide variety of operas and operettas, and made several recordings. Biography Born René Kollodzieyski in ...

, Dagmar Koller, Heinz Zednik, directed by

Arthur Maria Rabenalt Arthur Maria Rabenalt (25 June 1905 – 26 February 1993) was an Austrian film director, writer, and author. He directed more than 90 films between 1934 and 1978. His 1958 film ''That Won't Keep a Sailor Down'' was entered into the 1st Moscow In ...

. *A version for Australian television aired in 1962.

Recordings

*1930:

Paul Dessau Paul Dessau (19 December 189428 June 1979) was a German composer and conductor. He collaborated with Bertolt Brecht and composed incidental music for his plays, and several operas based on them. Biography Dessau was born in Hamburg into a m ...

; Richard Tauber (Sou-Chong), Margit Suchy (Lisa), Hella Kürty (Mi), Willy Stettner (Gustl), Georg John (Tschang); Label: Koch 3-1373-2 (CD) *1953: Otto Ackermann,

Philharmonia Orchestra The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI Classics, EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Rich ...

;

Nicolai Gedda Harry Gustaf Nikolai Gädda, better known as Nicolai Gedda (11 July 1925 – 8 January 2017), was a Swedish operatic tenor. Debuting in 1951, Gedda had a long and successful career in opera until the age of 77 in June 2003, when he made his final ...

(Sou-Chong),

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Dame Olga Maria Elisabeth Friederike Schwarzkopf, (; 9 December 1915 – 3 August 2006) was a German-born Austro-British lyric soprano. She was among the foremost singers of lieder, and is renowned for her performances of Viennese operetta, as w ...

(Lisa), Erich Kunz (Gustav), Emmy Loose (Mi). Originally on Columbia LPs 33CX 1114-5, various CD reissues. *1957: Jésus Etcheverry, Grand Orchestre et Choeurs René Alix, Tony Poncet (Sou-Chong), Renée Doria (Lisa), Henri Gui (Gustav), Lucie Dolène (Mi); Label: Philips CD 442 241-2 highlights only, in French *1961: Franz Marszalek,

WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne The WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne (German: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln) is a German radio orchestra based in Cologne, where the orchestra performs at two main concert halls: the WDR Funkhaus Wallrafplatz and the Kölner Philharmonie. Histo ...

;

(Sou-Chong), Antonia Fahberg (Lisa), Luise Cramer (Mi), Ernst Stankovski (Gustl), André Peysang (Tschang); Label: Gala Gl329 (CD) *June 1967: , Symphonie-Orchester Graunke;

(Sou-Chong), Anneliese Rothenberger (Lisa), Renate Holm (Mi), Harry Friedauer (Gustl), Jobst Moeller (Tschang); Label: EMI CMS 5 65372 2 (CD), CDMB 65372 (CD) *April 1970: Yvon Leenart, Orchestre de l'Association des Concerts Lamoureux; Bernard Sinclair (Sou-Chong), Bernadette Antoine (Lisa), Sylvia Paule (Mi),

Michel Dens Michel Dens (22 June 1911 in Roubaix – 19 December 2000 in Paris) was a French baritone, particularly associated with the French repertory, both opera and operetta. Born Maurice Marcel, the son of a journalist, he studied at the Academy of ...

(Gustl), Gilbert Guimay (Tschang); Label: EMI 74097(CD), in French (''Le pays du sourire'') *1982: Willi Boskovsky, Munich Radio Symphony Orchestra; Siegfried Jerusalem (Sou-Chong),

Helen Donath Helen Jeanette Donath (née Erwin; born July 10, 1940) is an American soprano with a career spanning fifty years. Biography Helen Erwin was born in Corpus Christi, Texas and studied there at Del Mar College. Later she studied in New York with ...

(Lisa), Brigitte Lindner (Mi), Martin Finke (Gustl), Klaus Hirte (Tschang); Label: EMI 47604(CD), EMI 66376(CD) *1996:

Richard Bonynge Richard Alan Bonynge ( ) (born 29 September 1930) is an Australian conductor and pianist. He is the widower of Australian dramatic coloratura soprano Dame Joan Sutherland. Bonynge conducted virtually all of Sutherland's operatic performances ...

, English Chamber Orchestra, Nancy Gustafson (Lisa), Jerry Hadley (Sou-Chong), Naomi Itami (Mi), Lynton Atkinson (Gustl) Label: Telarc CD-80419, in English There are also extracts in ''Franz Lehár Conducts Richard Tauber'' (1929–1931), with 6 tracks performed by Richard Tauber (Sou-Chong), Vera Schwarz (Lisa) and the Berlin State Opera Orchestra (Pearl CD).

References

External links

* *, Richard Tauber (1930) {{DEFAULTSORT:Land of Smiles, The 1929 operas German-language operettas Operas by Franz Lehár Operas set in China Operas Fiction set in 1912