Lehár: Das Land des Lächelns

Piotr Beczala (Prince Sou-Chong), Julia Kleiter (Lisa), Rebeca Olvera (Mi), Spencer Lang (Count Gustav von Pottenstein), Cheyne Davidson (Tschang) & Martin Zysset (Chief Eunuch)

Chor der Oper Zurich & Philharmonia Zurich, Fabio Luisi (conductor) & Andreas Homoki (stage director)

This is a magnificent achievement: a staging that lets the piece speak eloquently for itself, performed with a sense of style that’s faithful without being patronising…Kleiter’s singing has a... — Gramophone Magazine, October 2018 More…

Release Date: 29th Jun 2018
Catalogue No: ACC10435
Label: Accentus Music

Gramophone Magazine

October 2018

DVD/Blu-ray of the Month

Lehár: Das Land des Lächelns

Recorded at the Opernhaus Zürich, June 2017
Piotr Beczala (Prince Sou-Chong), Julia Kleiter (Lisa), Rebeca Olvera (Mi), Spencer Lang (Count Gustav von Pottenstein), Cheyne Davidson (Tschang) & Martin Zysset (Chief Eunuch)
Chor der Oper Zurich & Philharmonia Zurich
Fabio Luisi (conductor) & Andreas Homoki (stage director)

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Set and lighting designer: Klaus Grünberg

Costume design: Silke Willrett

Dramaturgy: Kathrin Brunner

Always smile and always be cheerful, always satisfied, no matter what happens, smile in spite of your sorrows and a thousand aches and pains', sings Prince Sou-Chong, thus introducing the fundamentally melancholic tone of Das Land des Lächelns ('The Land of Smiles'), which even has a tragic ending in store. For the new production of this operetta, world class tenor Piotr Beczala returned to the Opernhaus Zürich as Sou-Chong. He has an equal partner in Julia Kleiter, who plays the role of Lisa. Fabio Luisi and Andreas Homoki also know that the genre of operetta requires particular care – which is why they assumed personal responsibility for this production. Homoki sets the plot in a Paris Variété theater from the 1920s, complete with show staircase and heavy curtains. To emphasize the operatic elements, he condensed the piece, cutting several secondary roles and shortening dialogues. Recorded at the Opernhaus Zürich in June 2017.

Picture Formats: NTSC 16:9, Full HD

Sound Formats: DTS HD Master Audio, PCM Stereo

Region Code: 0

Running Time: 103:07

Disc Format: BD 25

Subtitles: German, English, French, Japanese, Korean

Reviews

October 2018

This is a magnificent achievement: a staging that lets the piece speak eloquently for itself, performed with a sense of style that’s faithful without being patronising…Kleiter’s singing has a really glamorous gleam throughout; together with Beczała the pair articulate their emotional conflict as painfully and as persuasively as if they’re singing Puccini...Of course, much credit has to go to Fabio Luisi, who brings out textures ranging from Straussian lushness to Ravel-like chinoiserie.

December 2018

Fabio Luisi conducts with a subtle consciousness of the requisite style and the orchestra sounds marvellous

Opera Now January 2019

Julia Kleiter’s soprano possesses a delicious quiver that suits this music perfectly.

Lehár: Das Land des Lächelns

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