“The Merry Widow” brought to you by Musica Viva in December
Performed by an internationally renowned cast, this universally acclaimed operetta will be produced and directed by Prof Lo Kingman, in collaboration with musical director and conductor Lio Kuokman.
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Since its 1905 premiere in Vienna, The Merry Widow (Die lustige Witwe in German), a three-act operreta masterpiece by Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár, has mesmerised and delighted audiences around the world.
In the timeless romantic story of how true love prevails, though with many amusing twists and turns, the libretto, based on a French comedy, revolves around a rich widow, Anna Glawari. Her immense wealth inherited from her late husband has triggered the passionate courtship by the Frenchmen at a party in Paris hosted by the state’s envoy of Pontevedro, a small Balkan state. The envoy’s primary concern is to preserve her wealth in the poverty-stricken state by ensuring that she will marry one of her compatriots. Among the suitors is the envoy’s first secretary, Count Danilo Danilovitsch, who turns out to be Anna’s first love. Their romance was opposed by the Count’s family because of Anna’s peasant background. It’s a test of true love between the honourable Count, who refuses to marry Anna for her wealth, and the love-struck Anna, who wants to know if Danilo’s feelings for her are genuine. This operetta, masterfully blending the lavish exoticism of the Balkan with the romantic vibrancy of Paris, delights the captivated audiences with a happy ending.
Throughout the past 115 years, The Merry Widow has enjoyed extraordinary international success and continued to be frequently revived around the world. Well-known music from the score includes the “Vilja Song”, “You’ll Find Me at Maxim’s”, and the “Merry Widow Waltz”.