Concert Operetta's "Gypsy Princess' (2nd review)

From the evidence provided by this production, I'd rank Emmerich Kálmán as my favorite operetta composer. He's not as well remembered as Johann Strauss, who created the genre, but Kálmán's music is more varied and exciting. It also relates more closely to our time.

Kálmán (1882-1953), born Imre Koppstein, was a Hungarian Jew and a schoolmate of Béla BartÓ³k and Zoltán Kodály. He was 57 years younger than the waltz king Strauss and 12 years younger than Strauss's Austrian successor Franz Lehar. At age 26 he moved to German-speaking Vienna, where he started using the name Emmerich Kálmán and went to work in theater.

In 1915 Kálmán wrote Die Csárdásfürstin (The Gypsy Princess). His outstanding among his later works included Gräfin Maritza (Countess Maritza) in 1924, Die Zirkusprinzessin (The Circus Princess) in 1926 and The Duchess of Chicago in 1928. With the rise of Hitler in the 1930s, Kálmán sought refuge in the U.S.; after World War II he returned to Europe and died in Paris.

Jews, gypsies and Turks

Kálmán's music contained American influences and references, especially to the dance music in Chicago's speakeasies. But his Hungarian background and his use of that land's folk rhythms remained the most distinctive element in his music.

Budapest, his hometown, was the hub of the eastern half of the Hapsburg Empire, which contained far more gypsies, Jews, Magyars and Turks than did Vienna. In addition to fast and slow waltzes, Kálmán used the czárdás, the Hungarian dance, in 2/4 or 4/4 time, with syncopated beats that started slowly and accelerated.

Because the Hungarian language stresses first syllables, its music has a strongly accented rhythm. Kálmán also wrote scales that used plaintive minor thirds, a musical interval using three half steps, and wide-arching melodies. We also hear cadence-like clicking of heels in his music. In Concert Operetta's production last weekend, this feature prompted rhythmic clapping by members of the audience.

Poking fun at pomposity

Unlike his Viennese predecessors, Kálmán indulged less in sentimentality about life in the old Empire and more in rebellion against the aristocratic system. His plots poked fun at the pomposity of the entitled class. In The Gypsy Princess we see a prince who prefers a commoner cabaret singer. His royal parents feel that it would be more acceptable for him to marry a divorcee than a nightclub performer, and the show's denouement reveals that the prince's own mother had once been a burlesque singer and dancer known as High Kickin' Hilda.

This is operetta, so The Gypsy Princess ended happily with the ensemble proclaiming, "Let Me Dance and Let Me Sing."

Jeffrey Halili excelled as Prince Edwin, with beaming face and ringing high notes. He's been impressive in many opera roles for the Academy of Vocal Arts but was never as dashing a leading man as he was here.

Limited rehearsals

Almost equal in stage time was another tenor, John Matthew Myers, as Edwin's fun-loving best friend. His genial presence and strong voice were unexpected pleasures because he's not an AVA artist. It would be a treat if we could see an opera where Myers shares the stage with his fiancée, the Metropolitan Opera soprano Angela Meade.

Jennifer Holbrook brought some parody to her role as the extroverted cabaret singer, and Evelyn Rossow presented a contrast as a lower-key, mellower romantic woman. Brian Major was impressive as the baritone lead, the Baron Feri.

All five of these principals excelled in their roles, and the supporting cast was strong. The costumes were glamorous and staging minimal. Pianist Richard Raub deserves kudos for training the cast with precision, especially given their limited rehearsal time.

In my childhood, radio broadcasts featured tenors like Jan Peerce and Richard Tucker singing Kálmán ballads like "Play Gypsy, Dance Gypsy"— music that's almost unknown today. So bravo to Daniel Pantano and his Concert Operetta Theater for bringing it back for our enjoyment, and also to teach the genre to young professional singers.♦


To read another review by Tom Purdom, click here.