This world-premiere recording of Frasquita should be of interest to anyone who loves The Merry Widow and Viennese operetta.
Lehár's operetta is set in Spain, so the score is a mélange of Viennese and Spanish idioms, flavored by the Eastern European influence of the composer's roots. The novel by Pierre Louÿs on which Frasquita is based was deemed too racy for operatic treatment by Puccini, but the libretto by A.M. Willner and Heinz Reichert eliminates all the sex and violence, and what is left is pretty tame stuff. What's left, in fact, comes off as essentially trivial, and the lack of much real drama probably accounts for the operetta's obscurity in the composer's oeuvre.
Lehár's writing is consistently melodious and tuneful, revealing the composer in strong form, and while it might seem silly on-stage it makes for a pleasant listening experience. There is some spoken dialogue, but not an inordinate amount. This performance comes from a 2010 performance at the Lehár Festival Bad Ischl, featuring the Franz Lehár Orchestra and Chorus, led by
Vinzenz Praxmarer. The festival draws its talent from young singers in the early stages of their careers, so the performances are not always world-class, but that's more than compensated for by the youthful energy of the performers. The soloists are strong, clearly invested in bringing their characters to life. Laura Scherwitzl and Robert Maszl as the secondary couple make a stronger impression that the leads, Romana Noack and Vincent Schirrmacher. The sound of the live concert recording is surprisingly clean, with good balance and ambience.