Page 259 - Weiss, Jernej, ur./ed. 2021. Opereta med obema svetovnima vojnama ▪︎ Operetta between the Two World Wars. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 5
P. 259
national stereotypes and political issues in polnische hochzeit by joseph beer
er outcome of the two authors’ (and Alfred Grünwald’s) collaboration. The
work was a huge success, and before the outbreak of World War II it was
presented on many European stages, including Vienna, Warsaw and Ma-
drid.5 After the war, Beer withdrew his earlier compositions, which result-
ed in the absence of Polnische Hochzeit in the repertoire of the second half
of the 20th century. In 2011, the Viennese publisher Doblinger published the
score of the work6 and this had an impact on a contemporary interest in the
composition: in 2012, the first post-war performance of the work took place
at the Wiener Operettensommer festival7, in 2016 there was a CD released
by the CPO record company,8 and in the 2018/19 season there was the latest
stage premiere of the work in the Graz Opera House.9
Issues covered by the work
The plot of Polnische Hochzeit takes place in the 19th century, in the times
when there was no Polish state on the maps of Europe since it had ceased
to exist as a consequence of 18th-century partitions. The events of the oper-
etta take place in a Polish manor house situated in the Russian partition,
which constitutes an important element of the plot and generates an addi-
tional political conflict.10 The sentimental characteristics of the plot, essen-
tial in a work meant to be bourgeois entertainment with moralistic qual-
ities, should be also confronted with various national concepts, since in
5 The Viennese premiere of the operetta, scheduled for 1938 (with Richard Tau-
ber in the part of Boleslav), was cancelled by fascists due to political reasons.
Cf. “Polnische Hochzeit,” Opereten-Lexikon, http://www.operetten-lexikon.in-
fo/?menu=167&lang=1. On 1 October 1939, in turn, the French premiere, featuring
Jan Kiepura and Marta Eggerth, was scheduled to take place in the Parisian Théâtre
du Châtelet, which did not happen as a result of the World War II outbreak. Cf. Ste-
fan Frey, “Joseph Beer – von den Nazis um den Erfolg gebracht,” BR Klassik, Decem-
ber 11, 2015, https://www.br-klassik.de/themen/oper/polnische-hochzeit-esay-100.
html.
6 Joseph Beer, Polnische Hochzeit, Operette in drei Akten und einem Vorspiel [full score
and piano score] (Wien: Doblinger 09064, 2011).
7 Direction: Marion Dimali, scenography: Markus Windberger, premiered on 19 July
2012.
8 Münchner Rundfunkorchester, conductor Ulf Schirmer, CPO 555 059-2, 2 CD, 2016.
9 Oper Graz, director Sebastian Ritschel, scenographer Martin Miotk, premiered on 8
December 2018, https://onlinemerker.com/wien-theresianum-polnische-hochzeit/.
10 This presentation of the plot of the Polnische Hochzeit operetta is based on the fol-
lowing edition of the libretto: Polnische Hochzeit, Operette in drei Akten (mit einem
Vorspiel) von Alfred Grünwald und Dr. Fritz Löhner, Musik von Joseph Beer [libretto]
(Wien: Wiener Operettenverlag, 1936).
257
er outcome of the two authors’ (and Alfred Grünwald’s) collaboration. The
work was a huge success, and before the outbreak of World War II it was
presented on many European stages, including Vienna, Warsaw and Ma-
drid.5 After the war, Beer withdrew his earlier compositions, which result-
ed in the absence of Polnische Hochzeit in the repertoire of the second half
of the 20th century. In 2011, the Viennese publisher Doblinger published the
score of the work6 and this had an impact on a contemporary interest in the
composition: in 2012, the first post-war performance of the work took place
at the Wiener Operettensommer festival7, in 2016 there was a CD released
by the CPO record company,8 and in the 2018/19 season there was the latest
stage premiere of the work in the Graz Opera House.9
Issues covered by the work
The plot of Polnische Hochzeit takes place in the 19th century, in the times
when there was no Polish state on the maps of Europe since it had ceased
to exist as a consequence of 18th-century partitions. The events of the oper-
etta take place in a Polish manor house situated in the Russian partition,
which constitutes an important element of the plot and generates an addi-
tional political conflict.10 The sentimental characteristics of the plot, essen-
tial in a work meant to be bourgeois entertainment with moralistic qual-
ities, should be also confronted with various national concepts, since in
5 The Viennese premiere of the operetta, scheduled for 1938 (with Richard Tau-
ber in the part of Boleslav), was cancelled by fascists due to political reasons.
Cf. “Polnische Hochzeit,” Opereten-Lexikon, http://www.operetten-lexikon.in-
fo/?menu=167&lang=1. On 1 October 1939, in turn, the French premiere, featuring
Jan Kiepura and Marta Eggerth, was scheduled to take place in the Parisian Théâtre
du Châtelet, which did not happen as a result of the World War II outbreak. Cf. Ste-
fan Frey, “Joseph Beer – von den Nazis um den Erfolg gebracht,” BR Klassik, Decem-
ber 11, 2015, https://www.br-klassik.de/themen/oper/polnische-hochzeit-esay-100.
html.
6 Joseph Beer, Polnische Hochzeit, Operette in drei Akten und einem Vorspiel [full score
and piano score] (Wien: Doblinger 09064, 2011).
7 Direction: Marion Dimali, scenography: Markus Windberger, premiered on 19 July
2012.
8 Münchner Rundfunkorchester, conductor Ulf Schirmer, CPO 555 059-2, 2 CD, 2016.
9 Oper Graz, director Sebastian Ritschel, scenographer Martin Miotk, premiered on 8
December 2018, https://onlinemerker.com/wien-theresianum-polnische-hochzeit/.
10 This presentation of the plot of the Polnische Hochzeit operetta is based on the fol-
lowing edition of the libretto: Polnische Hochzeit, Operette in drei Akten (mit einem
Vorspiel) von Alfred Grünwald und Dr. Fritz Löhner, Musik von Joseph Beer [libretto]
(Wien: Wiener Operettenverlag, 1936).
257
