Coming up in Philly music: The really important Russian questions

Concert Operetta Theater’s (COT) production of The Czarevich won’t increase your knowledge of Russian history. It won’t tell you what you should think about Russian meddling with American elections, the rise of Vladimir Putin, or the current state of the global economy. The Czarevich is an operetta and operettas concentrate on the really important questions. Should the young heir to the throne stay with the young woman who has captured his heart, or give up lifelong happiness so he can fulfill his royal responsibilities? Should the audience leave the theater feeling happy because love has triumphed or should it savor the pleasures of a warm, sentimental sadness?

Operettas contain all the vocal solos, duets, and choruses that enliven opera, but the characters talk between the musical numbers, and operettas generally communicate a rosier, less grandiose view of existence. The form flourished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries before it morphed into the musical in the United States.

COT is keeping the classics alive with concert-style performances that take advantage of the wealth of vocal talent available in a city whose institutions include major national vocal schools like the Academy of Vocal Arts. The Czarevich (which COT first mounted in 2006) was created by Franz Lehár (1870-1948), the Viennese composer noted for The Merry Widow and other landmarks of the genre. It’s one of the six operettas he composed for a renowned tenor, Richard Lauber, with big solos designed to show off the tenor’s voice. We may not live in the world depicted in Viennese operettas, but it’s a wonderful place to visit.

Concert Operetta Theater presents The Czarevich on Saturday, May 19, and Sunday, May 20, at 4pm at The Academy of Vocal Arts (1920 Spruce Street, Philadelphia). Tickets ($30; $20 for seniors; $10 for students and free for anyone under 16) are available only at the door.