La vedova allegra by Lehár, dom 25 set 2022, Da (2022/2023), Diretto da Michael Schilhan,, Direttore d'orchestra Diego Martin-Etxebarria, Dan Ratiu, Opernhaus Chemnitz, Chemnitz, Germania

"In the absence of a better venue, the people dance on the volcano," said the Viennese comedian Fritz Grünbaum, almost as if he had Franz Lehár's Merry Widowhad in mind: the fate of the fatherland hangs by a thread, but the Pontevedrian diplomatic corps enjoys Parisian (night) life with full benefits. If the young widow Hanna Glawari does not marry a compatriot, her million-dollar inheritance will flow abroad and her fatherland Pontevedro would be bankrupt in one fell swoop. Parisian men are already courting Hanna's hand and fortune. Chief diplomat Baron Zeta puts everything on one card: Count Danilo Danilovich must avert the catastrophe. It would be best for him to marry the Glawari himself. The notorious bachelor, however, does not even think about it. Wasn't there some old story between him and Hanna? His meeting with the widow leads directly to the "declaration of war", Hanna chooses a Frenchman, the national bankruptcy would actually be perfect. But it's not that easy to calculate the merry widow doesn't give a damn about titles and millions. The only thing that counts for her is the man who truly loves her even without money. She finds him, of course - in Danilo. Franz Lehár's The Merry Widow in 1905 marked the birth of the modern operetta. Melodies like Lips are silent and Da geht' ich zu Maxim went around the world within a few years. Director Michael Schilhan, already a household name in Chemnitz for his productions of The Magic Flute and Emil and the Detectives , will now follow the trail of the diplomats who are as corrupt as they are full of life. Anyone who, like Schilhan, goes through life with open eyes knows: Pontevedro is everywhere and Grünbaum's bon mot is timelessly relevant.