About us

The backbone of the Weinberger catalogue, operetta is an artform that found its popularity in Germany and Austria in the 19th century, latterly becoming popular in the US, the UK and Australia! Our catalogue spans composers from Abraham to Zeller, including Lehár and Kálmán, the two main composers who found fame in this genre. We have the works in their original language and a resurgence in the artform from the middle of the twentieth century was given impetus with excellent English-language translations from the likes of Harry Pepper, Christopher Hassall and, latterly, Jeremy Sams. Our catalogue includes both amateur (Operatic Society) and professional versions of many famous works. Andre Tchaikowsky’s The Merchant of Venice is one of the jewels in the crown of our catalogue. Completed in 1982 and given its posthumous premiere in Bregenz (Austria) in 2013, the work won the Opera Premiere of the Year; a testament to the quality of this work, which has received subsequent performances in Poland and the UK.

Browse our catalogue 247 titles

Apply to hire excerpts

Featured Opera

(7)

Fanny and Alexander

by Blake, David

In Bergman’s autobiographical drama the Ekdahls are an upper-middle-class theatrical family who are sheltered from the chaos of the outside world. Fanny and Alexander follows one tumultuous year in the…

Merchant of Venice, The

by Tchaikovsky, Andre

Polish composer André Tchaikowsky’s only opera, a three-act setting of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, was virtually finished at the time of the composer’s premature death in 1982. The final…

Gräfin Mariza

by Kalman, Emmerich

Composed in 1924, this immensely popular operetta exemplifies Kálmán's ability to successfully incorporate Hungarian motifs into the traditional Viennese light opera. One of the finest examples of the genre, this…

Die Csárdásfürstin

by Kalman, Emmerich

Operetta in three acts Libretto: Leo Stein & Bela Jenbach Music: Emmerich (Imre) Kálmán Premiere: Johann Strauss Theater, Vienna, 17th November 1915 under the musical direction of Arthur Guttmann Cast:…

Merry Widow, The (Die Lustige Witwe)

by Lehár, Franz

First performed in 1905, and often called "The Queen of Operettas", Die Lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow) was the work with which Lehár shot to fame, and is certainly the…

Happy Prince, The

by Williamson, Malcolm

Synopsis coming soon

Magic Flute, The (Die Zauberflöte)

by Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus

Mozart's last stage work, Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), was completed just two days before its premiere in Vienna on 30 September 1791. A masterpiece filled with enigmatic references to…

Opera in English Download our catalogue

News

The Merchant of Venice - Welsh National Opera

Welsh National Opera will give the much-anticipated UK premiere of André Tchaikowsky's The Merchant of Venice tonight, at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff. Ahead of the premiere, David Poutney describes the opera's journey from forgotten manuscript to fully-fledged, award-winning opera in The Guardian A new documentary about the composer, Rebel of the Keys, will be screened in Cardiff on 21 September. Tickets are available HERE For further details on the opera's UK tour, click HERE

Tchaikowsky's The Merchant of Venice - UK Premiere and film screening

Welsh National Opera gives the UK premiere of André Tchaikowsky's rediscovered opera The Merchant of Venice in Cardiff on 16 September, ahead of a UK tour that will also visit Bristol, Llandudno, Birmingham, Southampton and the Royal Opera House in London. To celebrate the UK premiere, a new documentary about the composer is being screened at Cardiff's Chapter on 21 September. The documentary, Rebel of the Keys, charts the life and times of pianist, composer and ‘enfant-terrible’ Tchaikowsky, mixed with a present-day journey towards the first performance of his opera on the international stage. WATCH: Rebel…

Who's afraid of operetta?

It's always interesting to see which companies programme what works and, in particular, which companies programme operetta. It has often been the case that opera companies have programmed operettas with singers who are "a little over their best", but it should be noted that there is a real art to singing operetta with the correct style and flair that it deserves. The Merry Widow is one name that people will recognise as an operetta, but there are so many interesting (and at times exotic) works that are worth a look at. From Die Blume von Hawaii (The Flowers of Hawaii)…

Ushering in the New Year with Kurt Weill

The start of a new year often invites both reflection and celebration. On Saturday, 3 January 2015, BBC Radio 4 looks back on Kurt Weill’s journey from German Jewish refugee to Broadway legend in a new documentary, “Speak Low, Speak Weill.” Created by producer Llinos Jones, the half-hour feature weaves together personal reflections by cabaret star Ute Lemper, musical examples, archival excerpts of Weill and Lotte Lenya and insights by Weill authorities Kim H. Kowalke, Stephen Hinton and James Holmes to illuminate Weill’s fascinating story and extraordinary contributions to the theatre. The programme will be broadcast at 3:30 pm and…

Arizona Lady rides into Berlin for the first time this Christmas!

Arizona Lady rides into town this December, courtesy of the Komische Opera Berlin. Emmerich Kálmán's last operetta is - as all good stories should be - a tale of cowboys, sheriffs, horses and love, and the production on 21 and 30 December will be a Berlin premiere, and a rare opportunity to see this wonderful operetta in concert. Katharine Mehrling stars as Lona Farrell, the resolute rancher with Hungarian roots in Emmerich Kálmán‘s first and finest Western operetta! For more information, click HERE

Netrebko and Florez set for a spectacular Csardasfürstin!

The New Year’s Eve Concert of the Staatskapelle Dresden with Christian Thielemann on the rostrum has already become something of a tradition. For the fifth year in succession the Staatskapelle Dresden will see out the old year in great style, and 2014 will see two internationally-acclaimed stars unite for a one-off performance of Emmerich Kálmán’s popular operetta "Die Csárdásfürstin", a work which self-confessed operetta fan Thielemann is not alone in regarding as a true 20th century masterpiece. Both soprano Anna Netrebko and tenor Juan Diego Flórez will be taking to the stage for this very special performance, which takes…

Tchaikowsky premiere wins international opera award

The International Opera Awards 2014 were held in London on the 7th of April and the aim of the awards is to raise the profile of opera as an art form and to recognise and reward artistic excellence and achievement. There was already a buzz surrounding the world premiere of André Tchaikowsky’s The Merchant of Venice (libretto by John O’Brien) at the Bregenzer Festspiele in Austria in July last year. The opera received unanimous acclaim for its production, singing and, moreover, for the work itself. Tchaikowsky, who died in 1982, never got to see the work staged and it was…

Mein ganzes Herz

Darling of the operatic stage, Piotr Beczala, is one of todays artists who is putting a real focus on operetta as part of his everyday repertoire. This recent release from DG, Mein ganzes Herz, is a disc of music by Kálmán, Stolz, Sieczynski, Romberg, Erwin and, of course, Lehar - a disc of arias made famous by Richard Tauber. In the promotional material and CD booklet, Beczala has modelled himself on the great Tauber, including the use of one of his trademark items - a monocle! The DG press release says: PIOTR BECZALA’S “HEART’S DELIGHT” GOES GOLD ON DAY OF…

André Tchaikowsky - Music Matters

This Saturday (1st February), BBC Radio Three's Music Matters programme features the Polish composer and pianist André Tchaikowsky, who is the subject of a new book by Anastasia Belina-Johnson. Tom Service talks to the author as well as pianist Stephen Kovacevich and opera director David Pountney about this fascinating yet complex musician. Link to the Music Matters Programme