THE SITUATION OF THE STAGE ART OPERETTA

With nothing the German spirit life (not only German) has trouble as with the allegedly so easy one. The love for the operetta, its benefit, becomesfrom courageous poets and philosophers however admitted. 

 Karl Kraus formulated courageous:

I can imagine that young humans receive more important impressionsfrom the works of Offenbach, which he gets to see in a summer theatre,as of those of classical authors, to whose reception without anyunderstanding propels him the pedagogic.

And Theodor W. Adorno says in his dialectic method "introduction into the music sociology" under the keyword "operetta" als follows: 

If the world spirit should have erred into the light music, then it would have committed some justice at it.

The vitality of operetta kept over one hundred and fifty years its old form until today. Also and straight because of the "improbability" of its story, intoxicated consciousness, more or less meaningful nonsense. With a rhythm, which makes the interpretation of the work without motion, thus to sit sill, nearly intolerable occasionally.

And an eroticism, which works attractively timeless whith its "Esprit" and its elegance. We can assume without doubt the quality and the imaginativeness of this allegedly so easy musical art kind belonging in the meantime to the classical culture, which applies to keep it alive absolutely.

Regardless of its contents: the operetta formally played itself into the corner. It was treated carelessly. The entertaining stories, the wealth of melodies and associated popularity was used in a devaluing way to lift its head. The preservation of the art of operetta was increasingly neglected: The advancement of the specific artistic education was dissolved until today nearly perfectly; operetta theatres were closed or supplied to the commercial musical. Television and broadcasting corporations dissolved more and more their orchestras of elevated pupular music and let this repertoire increasingly disappear from the programs. Result: such institutes by government contract and other cultural institutions - music- and theatre schools, opera houses -, which too evenly also are financed by government sponsorship, have thereby neglected their order in dramatic way, which is connected with this financing of the taxpayers.

But the operetta is still enough alive to cast a gloom on its mood durable. And exactly that is to be brought the beginning of the here established operetta foundation. To the preserving care of this art belongs the concentration and meditation on its cultural qualities. First the sound of orchestra and the singing has priority. The interpretation style of the operetta and the character of the roles make specific demands against the singing actors.

With the premieres of the works the large voices of the opera itself were everything else as too unfortunate to help the new art form to fame: Gitta Alpar, Erna Berger, Maria Cebotari, Fritzi Massary, Helge Rosvaenge, Richard Tauber, Marcel Wittrisch, Jan Kiepura, Marta Eggerth and other sounding names.

The operetta is still extremely popular, has a broad audience. Under the condition of music qualitatively fastidious and from the respective action intelligently and in good taste led presentation the operetta also has a good, a young and critical audience, which has been fundamental proven again and again.

This art did not lose particularly because of the music his popularity until today. Despite often destroying performances the music is inseparable by the versatile artistic impressions and qualities, which this theatre form has to offer:

Singing, dancing, vocalic, humour, joke, feeling = technical know how on several artistic levels

Marguerite Kollo - operetta foundation