December, 2005 - Nr. 12
WIENER BLUT / VIENNA LOVE
By JOHANN STRAUSS
The spirit of Vienna comes alive for the Holidays
Toronto...WIENER BLUT, the title of the last operetta attributed to Johann Strauss defies conventional translation. Literally `Vienna blood’, the title means so much more and seeks to encapsulate in two words the ineffable spirit of that magical city on the Danube. Vienna is a city of tradition and Toronto Operetta Theatre has established a tradition of its own with a full-scale production of a major operetta every year during the Holidays.
This season, Strauss’ WIENER BLUT (Vienna Love) caps the Holiday entertainment calendar with eight performances at the St. Lawrence Centre’s Jane Mallett Theatre beginning with a preview on Tuesday, December 27 at 8 pm. Opening Night is Wednesday, December 28 at 8 pm with subsequent performances on December 30 at 8 pm, December 31 (New Year’s Eve Dinner and Dance before and following the show), January 4 at 2pm, January 6 & 7 at 8pm and January 8 at 2pm.
Toronto Operetta Theatre’s General Director Guillermo Silva-Marin has assembled a stellar cast for WIENER BLUT Including well-established Canadian artists and emerging vocalists of enormous talent. "I’m very pleased to welcome Jackalyn Short to the TOT stage as Franzi" said Silva-Marin. "She recently starred In Vancouver Opera’s production of UN BALLO IN MASCHERA, and sang all the heroines In LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN for Hawaii Opera ... an incredible feat! I’m also pleased to announce that Mark DuBois will be our would-be philandering Count Zedlau in this tale of amorous intrigue set during the Congress of Vienna In 1814/15". Sean Watson appears as the Prime Minister of Reuse-Grelz-Schleiz with tenor Marcel van Neer (Josef the valet), and sopranos Katerina Tchoubar (Garbrielle) and Carla Huhtanen Pepi rounding out the cast. Kevin Mallon, esteemed for his over 30 recordings on the Naxos label makes his TOT debut as conductor of cast, chorus and orchestra and TOT’s Silva-Marin will be stage director. Myra Malley Is stage manager and Cameron More is lighting designer.
WIENER BLUT premiered at the Carltheater In Vienna on October 26, 1899. The libretto is by Viktor Leon and Leo Stein, who later collaborated with Franz Lehar on the Incomparable MERRY WIDOW. The music is by Johann Strauss, and features as Its principal point of departure his Immortal concert waltz, WIENER SLUT. Regrettably, the grand master of the waltz died before the premiere of his last operetta but by 1905, It had gained popularity with the operetta public that It has retained ever since. The story and characters are seen through rose-coloured glasses as an accurate depictions of old Vienna, and Franzi (a ballerina), and Pepi (a dress-fitter), are upheld as the embodiments of the Viennese spitfire. The above and below stairs intrigues are not unlike those In Offenbach’s LA VIE PARISIENNE and of course, all live happily ever after!
Subscription packages at substantial discounts and single tickets ($35, $55 & $75) are available in person at the Jane Mallett Theatre Sox Office, 27 Front St. East or by phone at 416-366-7723, 1-800-708-7654 or online www.stlc.com Discounts are available to groups of 20 or more. The wheelchair accessible theatre is in the heart of the downtown entertainment district and convenient to municipal parking and public transit.
