Leo Fall: Die Dollarprinzessin
Munchner Rundfunkorchester, Chor der Musikalischen Komödie Leipzig, Ulf Schirmer
Ulf Schirmer and his cast clearly love the piece. Rhythms and phrasing are stylish without being mannered and no allowances need be made for any of the voices here. Christiane Libor is warm...
Leo Fall: Die Dollarprinzessin
Munchner Rundfunkorchester, Chor der Musikalischen Komödie Leipzig, Ulf Schirmer
Purchase product
Ulf Schirmer and his cast clearly love the piece. Rhythms and phrasing are stylish without being mannered and no allowances need be made for any of the voices here. Christiane Libor is warm...
About
It was a waltz that led to the success of Die Dollarprinzessin, not only in America (where the action is set) but also around the globe. Nevertheless, during its Broadway debut the usual inserts by American composers were an absolute must, including the hornpipe quintet “A Boat Sails on Wednesday” by Jerome Kern, who until then was largely unknown. Although the New York Times found “this burlesque Apache dance” to be “very amusing,” it nevertheless emphasized that “Dr. Fall’s music nonetheless is situated high above such trivialities.” The libretto was written by the authorial team formed by Alfred Maria Willner and Fritz Grünbaum. The main subject of the action: the refusal of an impoverished but proud man to let himself be bought by a woman who is just as proud but rich. The premiere on 2 November 1907 at the Theater an der Wien was loudly applauded, but the Berlin performance on 6 June 1908 became a triumph. When the five hundredth performance then was celebrated in 1909, Die Dollarprinzessin had already conquered London and New York. The 428 London performances paved the way for The Dollar Princess throughout all the colonies of the British Empire and opened the door taking it to the countries of the Romance languages, especially in South America, where La Princesa de los Dólares continues to belong to the repertoire even today!
Contents and tracklist
- Christiane Libor (soprano), Thomas Mohr (tenor), Ralf Simon (tenor), Magdalena Hinterdobler (soprano), Ferdinand von Bothmer (tenor), Angela Mehling (soprano), Tobias Haaks (tenor), Marko Cilic (tenor)
- Musikalische Komödie Oper Leipzig, Munich Radio Orchestra
- Ulf Schirmer
Awards and reviews
February 2020
Ulf Schirmer and his cast clearly love the piece. Rhythms and phrasing are stylish without being mannered and no allowances need be made for any of the voices here. Christiane Libor is warm and expressive in all registers as Daisy and Ralf Simon’s tenor has a nicely bronzed tone and hint of swagger as the dispossessed Hans von Schuck.
March 2020
Fall’s quiet wit, harmonic subtlety and cut-glass melodies still make their mark in this admirable 2012 performance, live from Munich’s Prinzregententheater and very naturally recorded. Full marks to the conductor Ulf Schirmer for presenting the original Vienna score absolutely complete and gauging exactly how to make it work through unforced, spritely tempos, perfect instrumental balance and a reticent, earlyautumnal poetry which never overplays its hand.