Composer: Franz Lehár
Performer: Ralf Simon, Laura Scherwitzl, Rupert Bergmann, Christian Eberl, Nikolai Schukoff, Mauro Peter, Christiane Libor, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Orchestra: Münchner Rundfunkorchester
Conductor: Ulf Schirmer
Number of Discs: 2
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: CPO
Catalogue: 777749-2
Release: 2016
Size: 747 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Giuditta
CD 01
Scene 1
01. Introduction: Halli, hallo! Ihr Leute! (Pierrino, Chorus)
02. Dialogue – Anita, meine Süße! (Pierrino, Anita)
03. Duet: Uns ist alles einerlei … (Anita, Pierrino)
04. Dialogue: Hier, mein kleines Vögelchen (Manuele, Wirt)
05. Alle Tag’ nichts als Müh’ und Plag’ (Manuele, Wirt)
06. Dialogue: Ist das die Osteria (Octavio, Antonio, Wirt)
07. Auftrittslied Freunde, das Leben ist lebenswort! (Octavio, Chorus)
08. Dialogue: Wirt! Noch eine Flasche (Octavio, Antonio, Wirt)
09. Ah! Wohin, wohin will es mich treiben? (Giuditta, Octavio, Antonio)
10. O Signora, o Signorina! (Octavio, Wirt, Manuele)
11. Dialogue: Giuditta! (Octavio, Manuele, Giuditta)
12. Finale: — (Giuditta, Manuele, Anita, Pierrino, Wirt, Chorus)
Scene 2
13. Melodrama – Duet: Zwei, die sich lieben … (Anita, Pierrino)
14. Dialogue: Pierrino, Anita! (Giuditta, Anita, Pierrino)
15. Reminiszenz: Schönste der Frau’n … (Octavio)
16. Dialogue: Octavio, schau, wir haben Besuch (Giuditta, Octavio, Anita, Pierrino)
17. Duet: Schön wie die blaue Sommernacht (Giuditta, Octavio)
18. Finale: Zwei, die sich lieben … (Anita, Pierrino)
Scene 3
19. Intermezzo
CD 02
Scene 3
01. Uns’re Heimat ist die Wuste (Octavio, Antonio, Chorus)
02. Lied: Du bist meine Sonne! (Octavio)
03. Finale: Giuditta! Was machst du hier? (Giuditta, Octavio, Antonio, Chorus)
04. Entr’acte
Scene 4
05. Tanzlied In einem Meer von Liebe (Giuditta, Chorus)
06. Abgang
07. Dialogue: Anita, mein Abendkleid (Giuditta, Anita, Martini)
08. Lied: Ja, die Liebe ist so wie ein Schaukelbrett (Martini)
09. Dialogue: Danke, meine Lieben (Martini, Giuditta, Anita, Pierrino)
10. Duet: Komm, komm, wir wollen fort von hier! (Anita, Pierrino)
11. Dialogue: Ein blaues Auto? (Giuditta, Martini, Barrymore)
12. Lied: Meine Lippen, sie kussen so heiss (Giuditta, Chorus)
13. Dance – Melodrama: — (Giuditta, Barrymore)
14. Dialogue: Guten Abend der Herr (Octavio, Martini, Kellner, Anita)
15. Finale: — (Octavio, Martini, Barrymore, Giuditta, Chorus)
Scene 5
16. Prelude
17. Dialogue: Alles ist hergerichtet (Adjutant, Octavio)
18. Lied: Schönste der Fraun (Octavio)
19. Dialogue: Signora Giuditta (Adjutant, Giuditta)
20. Reminiszenz (Giuditta)
21. Octavio! Octavio! (Giuditta, Octavio)
22. Dialogue: Seine Hoheit ist eingetroffen (Adjutant)
23. Dialogue: Schönste der Frau’n (Herzog, Giuditta, Adjutant, Octavio)
“It was a fairy tale.” It is with these memorable words that Octavio, the hero in Franz Lehár’s Giuditta, takes his hat and exits. His utterance not only marks the sad ending of this operetta, Lehár’s last, but also the final moment of an entire genre.
As in other later works by Lehár, Giuditta eliminates the happy ending otherwise typical of the entertaining genre of the operetta: here Lehár and his librettists endeavored to weave elements of the grand opera into the operetta. In 1910 the composer himself had predicted “that between the opera and the operetta, as far as artistic quality is concerned, there will soon be no more dividing wall.” In Giuditta, in keeping with the occasion, the Lehár melody wears orchestral attire that is splendid and almost pompous. You can look forward to a wealth of beautiful melodies, above all Octavio’s aria “Freunde, das Leben ist lebenswert” and the title heroine’s aria “Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiß”. Throughout his life Lehár regarded Giuditta as his “dearest child. I put something into Giuditta that was created out of my innermost depths. I concerned myself with the design of a particularly meticulous instrumentation, such as the rich and so very wonderful orchestra of the State Opera demands, and with the effective treatment of the voice parts and the elegant refinement of the themes. With Giuditta I gave my best.”