Korngold • J Strauss II

Eine Nacht in Venedig

Lothar Odinius, Ivan Orescanin, Götz Zemann, Elisabeth Pratscher, Elena Puszta; Graz Opera Chorus; Graz Philharmonic/marius Burkert CPO 555 235-2 78:20 mins

Even after Ernst Marischka and Erich Korngold tidied up the original libretto for Eine Nacht in Venedig in 1923, it remains an impossible story of mistaken identities, attempted seductions and upwardly mobile servants all caught up in the Venetian carnival. Yet Strauss gave it some of his best music, even if it’s really Vienna not Venice waltzing across the lagoon. Mix Korngold into the music with his silky orchestrations, and it gets even better as arias are moved about and imported from other Strauss operettas originally to beef up the role of the Duke for Richard Tauber.

Wisely, it’s Korngold’s version that Graz Oper have opted for, though Lothar Odinius is some sea miles away from Tauber as the Duke of Urbino. But there’s a pleasing sense of ensemble in this recording, particularly amongst the men –

Ivan Orescanin as the pasta cook Pappacoda and the Duke’s barber Caramello. And Elena Puszta is suitably soubrettish as Annina, who takes the place of the woman the Duke is chasing.

Marius Burkert in the pit keeps the performance afloat and knows exactly when to seduce his audience. The lagoon Waltz in Act III has you on your feet in moments. But why is there no dialogue in this recording, and no libretto in the accompanying booklet? Christopher Cook PERFORMANCE ★★★

RECORDING ★★★★