STRAUSS II Eine Nacht in Venedig

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Johann 2 CDs Also available: STRAUSS II Eine Nacht in Venedig (A Night in Venice) Buckard • Gylbert • Christensson • Andersson Larsdotter Persson • Meyer • Krawe • Hansson • Holmberg Coro Notturno • Stockholm Strauss Orchestra Mika Eichenholz

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Mika Eichenholz

Johann Strauss II Mika Eichenholz studied conducting under Jorma Panula at the Sibelius (1825-1899) Academy in Helsinki and made his début with the Royal Stockholm Eine Nacht in Venedig Philharmonic Orchestra in 1989. The same year he won first prize at the (One Night in Venice) Swedish competition for conductors. He has frequently been engaged as guest conductor in orchestras in Scandinavia, Germany, Austria, Israel, the Operetta in Three Acts Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Romania and South Africa, as well as in South America. He has formed a steady relationship with the Kazan State Libretto: F. Zell & R. Genée Opera with which he has toured in Europe with singers from the Bolshoy and The Viennese original version from 1883 in German, without the dialogue Mariinsky Theatre. In 2006 Mika Eichenholz made his début with the Hamburger Symphoniker and was subsequently re-invited for three following productions. During the season 2007-08 he appeared in South Guido, Herzog von Urbino (The Duke) ...... Daniel Buckard, Tenor America, Scandinavia, Austria, Germany, Russia and Holland, and in 2008/09 with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Swedish Chamber Caramello (The Duke’s Barber) . . . Pierre Gylbert / Johan Christensson, Tenors Orchestra, Stockholm Strauss Orchestra, Hamburger Symphoniker, Delaqua (Senator) . . . Erika Andersson / Anna Larsdotter Persson, Mezzo-sopranos Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Kazan Opera, Kuopio Symphony Orchestra, and the Santiago Symphony Orchestra. Barbara (Senator Delaqua’s Wife) . . . Anna Larsdotter Persson, Mezzo-soprano Annina (Fish-girl) ...... Merete L. Meyer / Anna-Maria Krawe / Kristina Hansson, Sopranos Ciboletta (Barbara’s Lady’s Maid) ...... Kristina Hansson, Soprano Pappacoda (Spaghetti-cook and Ciboletta’s Boyfriend) . . Henrik Holmberg, Tenor Agricola (Senator’s Wife) ...... Erika Andersson / Anna Larsdotter Persson, Mezzo-sopranos

Coro Notturno (Chorus Master: Elisabet Brander) Stockholm Strauss Orchestra (Leader: Marc Power) Mika Eichenholz

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Henrik Holmberg CD 1 62:12 CD 2 56:37

The tenor Henrik Holmberg was trained at the University College of Opera in Stockholm 1 Ouvertüre 7:48 Act II (contd.) 15:13 and since then has worked as a freelance opera and concert singer. He has sung rôles such as Larmare in Staden by Sven-David Sandström at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm, Act I 34:07 1 No. 12 Quartett: Ninana, Ninana 3:20 Emile Zola and Joseph in La vie parisienne by Offenbach at Vasan in Stockholm, Ferrando (Annina [Meyer], Ciboletta [Hansson], in Mozart’s Così fan tutte at Opera på fortet in Karlskrona, Charles Granddanois Jyckov in 2 No. 1 Introduktion: Wenn vom Lido Herzog, Delaqua [Persson]) the newly written opera Ärret by Paula af Malmborg Ward at Vadstena Academy in sacht wieder Kühlung weht 4:41 2 No. 13 Finale 2: Lasset die ander’n nur Vadstena, Hektor in Where the Wild Things Are by Oliver Knussen at NorrlandsOperan in (Chorus, Pappacoda) tanzen da 5:53 Umeå, Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore at the Regina Theatre in Stockholm, 3 No. 2 Lied mit Chor: Frutti di mare 2:34 (Ensemble) Annina [Meyer], Chorus 3 Tisifone in Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Fedra, Joseph Goebbels in the new opera Zarah by ( ) No. 13 Nur ungeniert... 6:00 4 No. 3 Duett: Heiraten ja, das wird mir freu’n 2:57 (Ensemble) Anders Nilsson and Kilian in Weber’s Der Freischütz at the Folkoperan in Stockholm. (Ciboletta, Pappacoda) 5 No. 4 Arie mit Chor: Eviva Caramello, Act III 14:49 des Herzogs Barbier! 3:17 (Caramello [Gylbert], Chorus) 4 No. 14 Introduktion; Karneval ruft uns 6 No. 5 Duett: Annina! Caramello! 3:35 zum Ball 1:16 (Annina [Krawe], Caramello [Gylbert]) (Chorus) Stockholm Strauss-Orkester 7 No. 6a Quartett: Alle maskiert! 2:41 5 No. 15 Lagunen Walzer: Ach, wie so (Annina [Krawe], Ciboletta, Caramello herrlich zu schau’n 3:27 [Gylbert], Pappacoda) (Caramello [Christensson]) No. 6b Melodram [string accompaniment to spoken 6 No. 16 Spottlied: Ein Herzog reich dialogue, both omitted on this recording] und mächtig, ha, ha, ha 3:02 8 No. 7a Finale 1: Hier ward es still 12:12 (Annina [Krawe], Women’s Chorus) (Ensemble) 7 No. 17a Aufzugsmarsch 1:49 9 No. 7a (Ensemble) 2:10 (Orchestra) 8 No. 17b Finale 3: Die Tauben von San Marco 3:48 Act II 20:16 (Ensemble) 9 No. 17b Wie sich’s gebührt 1:28 0 No. 7b Entreact (Orchestra) 1:57 (Ensemble) The Stockholm Strauss Orchestra was founded in 1992 as a non-profit-making organization. Its fifty players are all ! No. 8a Introduktion: members of the Sveriges Radios Symfoniorkester (Swedish Radio Symphony Orhestra), Stockholms Filharmoniska Nur ungeniert hier einspaziert* 3:29 Orchestral pieces 26:34 orkester (Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra), Hovkapellet (The Royal Opera House Orchestra) and Folkoperans (Agricola [Persson, Andersson], Herzog, Chorus) orkester (The People’s Opera Orchestra). The Strauss Orchestra is made up, following the original Wiener Johann @ No. 9 Lied: Was mir der Zufall gab 3:41 0 Pappacoda – Polka française, Op. 412 4:23 Strauss-Capelle, of ten first violins, six seconds, four violas, four cellos, three double basses, pairs of flutes, oboes, (Annina [Meyer]) ! Annina – Polka-Mazurka, Op. 415 3:11 clarinets and bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, two timpani, bass drum and harp. The # No. 10 Duett: So sind wir endlich allein 5:32 @ So ängstlich sind wir nicht – Polka schnell, orchestra plays all kinds of music, both popular and classical, from string quartet to symphony orchestra, with a (Annina [Hansson], Herzog) Op. 413 2:27 current repertoire of more than 1200 works by some 120 composers. $ No. 11 Ensemble and Couplets: # Die Tauben von San Marco – Polka française, Solch ein Wirtshaus lob’ich mir! 5:37 Op. 414 3:33 (Caramello [Gylbert], Pappacoda, Chorus) $ Lagunen Walzer, Op. 411 8:02 % Quadrille, Op. 416 4:57

*The original score includes No. 8b (Abgang), which is a repeat of the accompanying string music for 8a, and was intended to be played as the soloists and chorus left the stage at the end of 8a (Nur ungeniert hier einspaziert). This repeat is omitted on this recording. 8.660268-69 10 3 8.660268-69 660268-69 bk Strauss US 30/9/09 15:52 Page 4

Johann Strauss (1825-1899) Anna-Maria Krawe Eine Nacht in Venedig (A Night in Venice) The Swedish soprano Anna-Maria Krawe, from Örebro, started her musical training at After the great success in 1881 of his eighth operetta Der In 1929 Johann Strauss’s music was no longer Vadstena and studied with Britta Johansson and Hans Gertz in Malmö and Susanna lustige Krieg (The Merry War), Strauss wanted a new protected by copyright. Long before this, publishers had Rigacci in Florence. She graduated from the University College of Opera in Stockholm libretto set in Italy with a finale in St Mark’s Square in stopped selling his works in their original versions. A in 2002 and has performed rôles such as Clara and Gustav IV in Werle’s opera Venice. The librettists Camillo Walzel (pseudonym: F. Night in Venice was, like other operettas, arranged by Tintomara, Poppea in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, Tatyana in Zell) and Richard Genée presented Strauss with a story Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1923) and presented by the Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Mimì in Puccini’s La Bohème and Donna Elvira in entitled Venetian Nights, set in the mid-eighteenth publisher, A. Cranz, including a piece from the operetta Mozart’s Don Giovanni. century. The story appealed to the composer’s fondness Simplicius, under a new copyright. For more than fifty for practical jokes. The message behind the plot was that years, this altered fuller orchestration by Korngold was men might try to dupe women, but the women will prove nearly the only one performed. The autograph score to be too sharp in the end. Strauss began to compose the currently belongs to Stanford University in the United operetta at once and it became one of his four greatest States. On the first page Strauss has written: “To my successes. Unfortunately, unbeknown to Strauss, the dear brother-in-law, Josef Simon, as a bound stack of story had been copied from a French play, and this toilet-paper. Hope it goes down well!” Kristina Hansson almost created a scandal before the operetta even had its This live recording of Strauss’s Eine Nacht in first performance. Instead, however, Strauss’s first Venedig is taken from the original version (Vienna, In recent years Kristina Hansson has emerged as one of Sweden’s most interesting young theatrical scandal occurred during the actual première. 1883), published in score by Doblinger in 1970. We sopranos. She studied at the University College of Opera in Stockholm and has performed His second wife, Lili, had just left him and was have made, however, a few small cuts in order to allow with many of the world’s leading conductors, including Christoph Rousset, Arnold Östman, living with Franz Steiner, the director for the Theater an the artists to leave the stage during the performance: Adam Fischer, Alessandro De Marchi and René Jacobs. Her repertoire includes Sophie in der Wien, the theatre for which every Strauss operetta, 1) string accompaniment to the dialogue in No 6b; Der Rosenkavalier, Gilda in Rigoletto, and Zdenka in Arabella, Isabella in Sömnkliniken at with the exception of Prinz Methusalem, was written. 2) 29 bars in No. 8a (Melodram); 3) the first repeat of the Gothenburg Opera, the Queen of the Night at the Royal Swedish Opera, Konstanze in Strauss then decided to give the very first performance 17a (Aufzugsmarsch) in No 8b; 4) 58 bars (Melodram) Die Entführung aus dem Serail at Opera Leipzig and Amina in La Sonnambula at Malmö to the Strauss-friendly theatre, Neues Friedrich Wilhelm in Finale 3. We have also omitted the guitar (73 bars in Opera. In 2007 she made her début at Deutsche Staatsoper in Berlin as Amitta in Städtisches Theater, in Berlin. The première, which was Finale 1) and the two zithers (16 bars) in Finale 3. This Telemann’s Der geduldige Sokrates. Other engagements include Aspasia in Mozart’s given on 3rd October, 1883, was conducted by Strauss performance was given in collaboration with the Mitridate, the leading rôle in Zaide for the Classical Opera Company and a recital at himself and everything ran perfectly until the third act, University College of Opera in Stockholm. The rôles of Wigmore Hall. when the Duke sings in the Lagunen Walzer: ‘By night Delaqua, Annina, Ciboletta and Agricola were shared all cats look grey, and fondly are singing meow …’ severally by the soprano soloists. Freed from its spoken Some of the audience members began to sing ‘meow’ dialogue, Eine Nacht in Venedig provides sparkling and the composer was upset for a moment. music from start to finish. Six days later, on 9th October, the operetta was performed at the Theater an der Wien. For this performance, Strauss had shortened some bars in the Synopsis overture and Franz von Gernerth, with Genée, had written a new text for the Lagoon-Waltz. The new text, Act 1: An open space with a macaroni stall in front of now sung by Caramello, was not much better, but at the Rialto Bridge. least it did not include the word ‘meow’. Camillo Walzel also shortened the dialogue. From that day onward Eine The Duke of Urbino is expected to arrive in Venice. He Nacht in Venedig became a success on stages around the will take part in the carnival and see to the running of his world. palace in Venice, appointing a palace administrator. He

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Anna Larsdotter Persson also plans to seduce Barbara, the most beautiful woman man, Enrico. She asks her nurse and friend, Annina, to in town. He had met her at a masquerade the year before, take her place on the gondola that will be arranged by The Swedish mezzo-soprano Anna Larsdotter Persson was trained at the Royal College of but never saw her face. Of course he will perform this Caramello. Opera in Stockholm. A freelance singer, she works in Sweden as well as abroad. She made feat at a magnificent festival at his palace. her international début in 1999 when she sang Tisbe in Rossini’s La Cenerentola at the The Duke sends his barber, Caramello, ahead to Act 2: At the Duke’s palace. Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg and made her début at the Royal Opera House in distribute invitations to the festival and hire a gondola Stockholm in 2003 as Mercedes in Carmen. She also performs as a concert and oratorio for the abduction of Lady Barbara, if this should prove The evening’s events have meant that Caramello singer and has appeared as a soloist with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre necessary. Caramello, however, has an old girl-friend in unknowingly delivers his own girl-friend to the Duke’s Philharmonique du Luxembourg, the Brandenburger Symphoniker and others. She also has Venice, the fish-girl Annina. He spends his time with palace. He realises his mistake too late and Annina a wide Lieder repertoire and enjoys a high reputation as a Lieder singer. Her operatic rôles her and instead gives the invitation cards to his friend, enjoys making him jealous. The Duke welcomes the have also included Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, and the spaghetti cook Pappacoda. As a result, tailors, beautiful lady and brings her to the apartment for supper, Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier. bakers, porters, washer-women and maids are invited to convinced that she is Barbara. Delaqua appears, the festival, not the social elite. They agree not to dress presenting Ciboletta as his wife. The confused Duke up; it will be assumed that they already are in costume. suddenly has two ladies called Barbara at the table. He Pappacoda also has a girl-friend, Ciboletta, who is a intends to find out which of them is the real one. lady’s maid for old Senator Delaqua and his young wife Ciboletta then asks the Duke for the appointment, Barbara. Ciboletta is also a friend of Annina. Pappacoda not as administrator but as a court cook. She, of course, is happy with his life as a bachelor and blames his wish is planning for herself and Pappacoda. Merete Meyer to remain unmarried on the fact that he does not have The two jealous men, Caramello and Pappacoda, steady income. create several opportunities to interrupt the Duke in his The Norwegian soprano Merete Meyer was trained at the University College of Opera The whole town knows about the Duke’s interest in apartment. In the meantime the Duke’s other guests are (Stockholm), the Norwegian Academy of Music (Oslo) and the Agder Music Conservatory women, and upon the Duke’s arrival, he informs the eating, dancing and celebrating in the palace. Another (Kristiansand). She has appeared on many major stages in Norway and Sweden including three senators that he expects them to attend the festival senator’s wife, Agricola, and a crowd of swarthy, ugly the Royal Opera in Stockholm and the Norwegian National Opera in Oslo. Among her rôles with their wives. Unfortunately all the wives seem to fall ladies, appear to pay their respects to the Duke, singing are Helena in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Mimì in Puccini’s La Bohème, Marie ill. So the Duke asks Caramello to pick up Barbara at that they are not at all concerned about the rumour that in Thrane’s Fjeldeventyret, Katarina in Madsen’s Aurora and Inez in Verdi’s Il trovatore. night when it is dark. Just to be safe, Senator Delaqua the Duke is a lady-killer. She has worked with noted conductors including Stefan Solyom, Michael Bartosch, arranges to send his wife by gondola to her aunt on Suddenly the bells from the Church of San Marco Siegfrid Köhler and Dietfrid Bernet. Merete Meyer has received several scholarships Murano Island, even though he is also anxious to satisfy ring out. It is time for everybody to enter the square and including the Jenny Lind award, Prince Eugens award and First Prize in the Norwegian the Duke so he may receive the appointment of palace remove their masks. National Singing Competition for Young Singers. administrator. Therefore he asks Ciboletta to accompany him to the festival as his wife, pay attention to the Duke Act 3: In St Mark’s Square. and perhaps even ask the Duke to give the appointment to Delaqua. The Duke has not achieved what he wanted, but he This evening also happens to be Delaqua’s birthday, enjoys the practical joke and appoints Pappacoda as the and the other guests crowd around him singing so he court cook and Caramello as the palace administrator. cannot see what his wife is doing. Of course he is not The turbulent night is over and at the very least the aware of this and is deeply moved by the music of the women have got what they wanted. guests. The women, on the other hand, have made other plans for the evening. Barbara does not intend to go to stay with her aunt. She has planned to meet a young Berth Vestergård

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Daniel Buckard Johan Christensson

Daniel Buckard, tenor and film-maker from Stockholm, studied at the University School of Since his graduation from the Royal University College of Music in Stockholm in 1993 Opera in Stockholm and the Musikhochschule in Vienna. He also has been taught by the Johan Christensson has steadily established himself as one of the leading and most sought tenors Nicola Tagger in Milan and Björn Haugan in Stockholm. He has performed at the after tenors in the field of concert and oratorio. He has collaborated with many of Kammeroper and Volksoper in Vienna as well as at the Royal Opera, Folkoperan and Scandinavia’s most prominent orchestras and conductors in works by Bach, Mozart, Norrlandsoperan in Sweden. After his career as an opera singer he went into film-making Handel, Haydn and Britten, and has dedicated himself especially to the study and and graduated from the international film school SAE in 2008. He now works as a film- interpretation of the Evangelist parts in the Christmas Oratorio and Passions by J.S. Bach. maker in Stockholm, where he recently finished his first feature film. As an opera singer he regularly collaborates with theatres such as Drottningholm Court Theater, the Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse, Piteå Chamber Opera and Folkoperan in Stockholm. His appearances in opera have ranged from Monteverdi and Mozart to contemporary composers such as Thomas Adès, Philippe Phénelon, Jan Sandström and Carl Unander-Scharin.

Erika Andersson Pierre Gylbert The mezzo-soprano Erika Andersson was trained at the University College of Opera in The Swedish lyric tenor studied at the University College of Opera in Stockholm, Stockholm from 1999 to 2003. She made her début in the title rôle of Rossini’s La graduating in 2003, although he made his début in 1997 as Ferrando in Così fan tutte at the Cenerentola at the Värmlands Opera in 2002. During 2003-2005 she sang rôles Läckö Slottsopera. In 2005 he sang Ferrando once again at Ystadsoperan. Pierre Gylbert including Pauline in Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades, Maddalena in Verdi’s Rigoletto has also been engaged at the Folkoperan, Drottningholms Slottsteater, Reginateatern and and the Nurse in Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov at the Gothenburg Opera. In 2005-2006 Värmlandsoperan, where in 2004 he sang the principal rôle in the new opera En she worked at the Swedish Folkopera and sang Gertrude in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette Herrgårdssägen, from the novel by Selma Lagerlöf. Since 2004 he has been a member of and Maddalena in Rigoletto. In 2006 she also sang the part of Clarice in Rossini’s La the Royal Opera in Stockholm. pietra del paragone at Läckö Castle Opera. In 2007 she sang Mary in Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman at the Norrlands Opera. In 2008-09 and the following season her rôles at the Gothenburg Opera included Lise-Lotte/Maria-Lucia in Carl Unander- Scharin’s world première of The Sleep Ward, Orlofsky in Strauss’s Die Fledermaus and Myrtale in Massenet’s Thaïs. She has performed with orchestras such as the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, Gävle Symphony Orchestra, Uppsala Chamber Orchestra and Drottningholm’s Baroque Ensemble.

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Daniel Buckard Johan Christensson

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Henrik Holmberg CD 1 62:12 CD 2 56:37

Mika Eichenholz

Coro Notturno (Chorus Master: Elisabet Brander) Stockholm Strauss Orchestra (Leader: Marc Power) Mika Eichenholz

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8.660227-28

8.660268-69 12 CMYK

O P Also available E R E T T A

8.660270-71 8.660017-18 C L A S S I 8.660105-06 C 8.660216-17 S CMYK NAXOS NAXOS When the lady-killer Duke of Urbino decides to seduce Barbara, the most beautiful woman in town, at a masked ball, the scene is set for an unforgettable night. But the duke’s barber, Caramello, hands out the invitations to his working-class friends instead of the cream of society, and mistaken identities contribute another hilarious chapter to the war of the sexes. Strauss’s

J. STRAUSS II: sparkling score for A Night in Venice enjoyed considerable success around the world. Although DDD J. STRAUSS II: later arranged by Korngold, it is heard here in its original version and free from spoken dialogue. 8.660268-69 Johann Playing Time STRAUSS II 1:58:49 (1825-1899) Eine Nacht in Venedig (A Night in Venice)

Eine Nacht in Venedig Operetta in Three Acts • Libretto by F. Zell & R. Genée Eine Nacht in Venedig

Guido, Herzog von Urbino (The Duke) ...... Daniel Buckard, Tenor Caramello (The Duke’s Barber) ...... Pierre Gylbert / Johan Christensson, Tenors Delaqua (Senator) ...... Erika Andersson / Anna Larsdotter Persson, Mezzo-sopranos Barbara (Senator Delaqua’s Wife) ...... Anna Larsdotter Persson, Mezzo-soprano Annina (Fish-girl) ...... Merete L. Meyer / Anna-Maria Krawe / Kristina Hansson, Sopranos Ciboletta (Barbara’s Lady’s Maid) ...... Kristina Hansson, Soprano www.naxos.com Disc made in Canada. Printed and assembled USA. Booklet notes and synopsis in English ൿ

Pappacoda (Spaghetti-cook and Ciboletta’s Boyfriend) ...... Henrik Holmberg, Tenor &

Agricola (Senator’s Wife) ...... Erika Andersson / Anna Larsdotter Persson, Mezzo-sopranos Ꭿ Coro Notturno • Stockholm Strauss Orchestra • Mika Eichenholz 2009 Naxos Rights International Ltd. CD 1 62:12 CD 2 56:37 1 Ouvertüre 7:48 1-3 Act II (contd.) 15:13 2-9 Act I 34:07 4-9 Act III 14:49 0-$ Act II 20:16 0-% Orchestral Pieces 26:34 A full track and cast list can be found on pages 2 and 3 of the booklet Recorded live at the Berwaldhallen, Stockholm, Sweden, on 6th October, 2002 (CD 1, CD 2 tracks 1-9), and on 1st January 2008 (CD 2 tracks 10-15) 8.660268-69 8.660268-69 Producer: Berth Vestergård in co-operation with the University College of Opera, Stockholm Engineer: Gert Palmcrantz • Editors: Kent Carlsson and Gert Palmcrantz Cover image: Venice by Moonlight by Ippolito Caffi (1809-66) (Private Collection / Accademia Italiana, London / The Bridgeman Art Library)