Paul Abraham: Dschainah - Operetta

[mikehopf]

Saturday night on Deutschlandfunk Kultur:

Paul Abraham ,,Dschainah" – Das Mädchen aus dem Tanzhaus
Große Operette in zwei Akten auf ein Libretto von Alfred Grünwald und Fritz Löhner-Beda
Bühnenpraktische Rekonstruktion von Henning Hagedorn und Matthias Grimminger

Dschainah – Hera Hyesang Park
Pierre Claudel – Johannes Dunz
Hortense Cliquot – Zizie de Paris
Yvonne – Mirka Wagner
Baron Bogumil Barczewsky – Dániel Fiko
Erzähler – Klaus Christian Schreiber
Chorsolisten der Komischen Oper Berlin
Chor der Komischen Oper Berlin
Orchester der Komischen Oper Berlin
Leitung: Hendrik Vestmann

Madama Butterfly as an operetta in Vietnam! Paul Abraham's musical love adventure of a French naval officer with a Jainah, the Vietnamese variant of a Japanese geisha, is a wild mix of Puccini, Puszta and Jazz. The "multicultural stew" was commissioned by the Viennese coffee king Julius Meinl II for his Japanese wife Michiko Tanaka. Almost 84 years to the day after its premiere in Vienna, the work is now experiencing its belated German premiere - a very special find in the series of excavations and rediscoveries at the Komische Oper Berlin. "The girl Lylo works as Jainah in the Sing Song House of the Sinister Dajak in Saigon. When it is supposed to be sold by its owner, who is as insensitive as it is greedy for money, the writer and naval officer Pierre Claudel readily agrees to marry Lylo. It's just stupid that in Paris his fiancée Yvonne is waiting for Pierre's timely return, because for inheritance reasons Yvonne must be married by a certain date. But mother-in-law Hortense Cliquot made provisions and appointed a deputy for the groom before Pierre left. Pierre is in no hurry to end his temporary marriage to Lylo and return to France. But a Madame Cliquot travels to Vietnam with daughter and entourage, if need be, in order to bring the unfaithful son-in-law to the season. "(Barry Kosky, director and chief director of the Komische Oper Berlin) (2

[Mark Thomas]

Other Paul Abraham works available on YouTube sound like a cross between Kurt Weill and 1930s musical. Very slight.

[Wheesht]

Detailed information on the operetta and performance here. The Deutschlandfunk broadcast is from 9 to 11 pm CET.