YVONNE KENNY

ViennaCITY OF MY DREAMS

MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

RICHARD BONYNGE

476 6905

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JOHANN STRAUSS II 1825-1899

1 Grüss dich Gott (Entrance of the Countess) from Wiener Blut (Viennese Spirit) 4’00

KARL ZELLER 1842-1898

2 Schenkt man sich Rosen in Tirol (Roses from Tyrol) from Der Vogelhändler (The Birdseller) 2’56

RUDOLF SIECZYNSKI 1879-1952

3 Wien, du Stadt meiner Träume (Vienna, City of My Dreams) 3’41

EMMERICH KÁLMÁN 1882-1953

4 Heia, Heia (Entrance Song) from Die Csárdásfürstin (The Gypsy Princess) 3’03

KARL ZELLER5 Sei nicht bös (Don’t Be Cross) from Der Obersteiger (The Mine Foreman) 3’56

FRANZ LEHÁR 1870-1948

6 Einer wird kommen (Someone Will Come) from Der Zarewitsch (The Czarevitch) 3’32

JOHANN STRAUSS II arr. Douglas Gamley7 The Nuns’ Chorus from Casanova 3’30

Calvin Bowman organ

ROBERT STOLZ 1880-1975 arr. Julie Simonds8 Mein Liebeslied muss ein Walzer sein (My Love Song Must Be a Waltz)

from Im weissen Rössl (White Horse Inn) 3’27

RICHARD HEUBERGER 1850-1914

9 Im Chambre séparée (A Private Room) from Der Opernball (The Opera Ball) 4’11

FRANZ LEHÁR0 Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiss (My Lips Kiss So Hotly) from Giuditta (Judith) 4’51! Vilia from The Merry Widow 5’45

Doug de Vries mandolin@ Love Unspoken (The Merry Widow Waltz) 3’48

Wilma Smith violin£ Hör’ ich Cymbalklänge (When I Hear the Sound of the Cimbalom)

from Zigeunerliebe (Gypsy Love) 3’32Wilma Smith violin, Janis Cook keyboard

FRITZ KREISLER 1875-1962 arr. Douglas Gamley$ Stars in My Eyes 3’14

PAUL ABRAHAM 1892-1960

% Toujours l’amour (All for Love) from Ball im Savoy (The Ball at the Savoy) 3’30Doug de Vries banjo

IVOR NOVELLO 1893-1951 arr. Julie Simonds^ Some Day My Heart Will Awake from King’s Rhapsody 2’21& My Dearest Dear from The Dancing Years 2’30

PAUL ABRAHAM* Good Night from Viktoria und ihr Husar (Victoria and Her Hussar) 3’43

Total Track Timing 65’28Yvonne Kenny soprano

Richard Bonynge conductorMelbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus 4, 7, !

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

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Despite being the city where Haydn, Mozart,Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Berg andSchoenberg lived and created many of theirgreatest masterpieces, many people in Viennastill consider that the spirit of the place is bestexemplified in the music of Johann Strauss theyounger. Although the Viennese are immenselyproud of their glorious musical heritage, theyhave always been characterised as enjoying thefiner things of life (particularly food and wine),and are noted for their keen sense of pleasure.

It is understandable, then, that the city willinglywelcomed the new theatrical genre of ‘operetta’in the 1860s, though it had been pioneered byJacques Offenbach in Paris. Frequently satirical,and lighter in subject matter than grand opera,operetta required scores that were immediatelycomprehensible to its audience, brimming withhummable melodies that could easily find asecond home in ballrooms. They wereperformed in theatres that received nogovernment funding, and so success was solelymeasured by takings at the box office.

Given his seemingly unlimited ability to turn outgreat tunes, it is not surprising that JohannStrauss II turned his hand to operettacomposition, although initially he was not at allwilling and had to be inveigled into it by his firstwife, Jetty Treffz. Even Offenbach thought that

Strauss would be a ‘natural’ in the new genre,and at a ball in 1864 proposed the idea himselfto the other composer. This ball was significant,as it was the scene of a waltz competitionbetween the two friendly rivals. Offenbachproduced a waltz called Evening Papers whichwas encored four times but is now totallyforgotten, while Strauss produced his immortalMorning Papers which was played only once.

For all of Strauss’ ability at writing great dancemusic, he never developed great theatricalintuition, and much of his operetta labour wasspent on libretti that seldom rose above the levelof doggerel. His preferred working method wasto write the tunes first, leaving his librettists tofit words to them as best they could.

Not surprisingly, theatrical managers began toclamour for scores which utilised his vastcatalogue of dance music, thereby assuringthemselves of a piece packed with hits. Justbefore his death, Strauss himself sanctioned thepractice with an operetta ‘compiled’ by AdolfMüller in 1899. This became Wiener Blut (thetitle means ‘Viennese Spirit’) which uses for theEntrance of Countess none other than the waltzthat had been composed for the competitionwith Offenbach, Morning Papers. Other JohannStrauss pastiche operettas followed with varyingsuccess. Of those which survive, Casanova

VIENNA, CITY OF MY DREAMS (1928) has proved more enduring, particularly bythe utilisation of one of Strauss’ lesser-knownwaltzes as the basis of what would become thecelebrated Nuns’ Chorus, where the heroineprays that she will not be forced to enter aconvent. This song became a hit for Anni Frindand then Gracie Fields and has, somewhatsurprisingly, featured many times on albums ofreligious songs.

With Viennese stages inundated by Offenbach’sworks, local composers were inspired to try their hands at composing pieces which would attempt to rival the popularity of the Frenchmaster (who had actually been born in Germany). A flurry of activity ensued, by an army ofcomposers amongst whom only a handful arenow remembered – and then frequently only in German-speaking countries – for a tinyproportion of their gigantic output.

Amongst these must be counted Karl Zeller,whose fame rests today principally on one work:Der Vogelhändler (1886). With his song Schenkt

man sich Rosen in Tirol, a curious situationarose that would continue until well into themiddle of the 20th century. In the operetta, thissong is sung by the principal tenor, Adam, thebirdseller of the title, as part of the first-actfinale. However, such was the popularity of theRosen-lied, as it became known, that all singers,of both sexes, wanted to perform it. From thenon, composers became much more conscious of

the need to create songs that could be easilyextracted from a dramatic context and sung byanyone. In the 20th century, until the advent ofElvis Presley, pop music was primarily showmusic, and it became almost unthinkable to createa lyric that could not be sung by either a man or awoman. Much the same fate happened to thesong Sei nicht bös which comes from an 1894operetta by Zeller, Der Obersteiger (The MineForeman), which is now otherwise forgotten.

Richard Heuberger is now only remembered forone operetta, the charming Opernball of 1898. It is a sort of Così fan tutte story, only here thewomen test the fidelity of the men. The hit songof the piece, Im Chambre séparée, has alsobeen frequently performed and recorded by maleand female singers, although in the operetta it ispart of a duet where the disguised maidHortense lures her employer’s nephew Henriinto a private room at the Opera Ball with thisbeguiling melody.

The success of Der Opernball was such that thedirectors of the Theater an der Wien turned toHeuberger as their first choice to write the scoreof a new operetta, Die lustige Witwe (The

Merry Widow). Sadly, Heuberger was sufferingan immense dose of what we would now termwriter’s block and could make nothing of thelibretto by Viktor Léon and Leo Stein. Reluctantly,the theatre directors turned to the young FranzLéhar who had achieved some small successes,

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most notably with the dance piece The Gold andSilver Waltz. Even after submitting to an audition,the directors were far from happy with the finalresults; one even going so far as to declare:‘This isn’t music!’

After a respectable if not overwhelming successat its Viennese premiere in 1905, The MerryWidow created a furore at its London and NewYork seasons in 1907. Every woman wanted acopy of the hat that Lily Elsie wore in the third actand the title was used to publicise everythingfrom cocktails to railway engines. The MerryWidow is the one operetta, along with Strauss’Die Fledermaus, which is now standard repertoirein almost every opera house in the world. Itsinfectious Waltz and Vilia have been performedby innumerable sopranos the world over.

Despite having achieved such success with TheMerry Widow, Lehár’s career floundered for awhile. The Great War had cast a pall overEurope, with the feeling that the end of an erahad been reached. While operetta remainedpopular, the frivolities of an Offenbach farceseemed out of tune with the times. Lehár notedthat a new medium had seized publicimagination: silent movies, and not just theChaplin or Keaton comedies, but in particular,the romantic melodramas that were being madeby an amazingly talented new breed of Germandirectors. Sensing this mood-swing, Lehár nowbegan to write operettas that were more overtly

sentimental in tone; that concentrated far lesson comedy and (while no-one died in the courseof the story) were not reliant on having a happyending at all. This new, more serious style ofoperetta is reflected in Lehár’s subsequentworks: Zigeunerliebe (Gypsy Love, 1910), Der Zarewitsch (The Czarevitch, 1927) andGiuditta (Judith, 1934) – the lattercommissioned by the Vienna State Opera. In allof these pieces, exotic locales are reflected inlavish orchestrations for large orchestras: gypsyinfluences fill Zigeunerliebe’s score; DerZarewitsch requires an ensemble of balalaikas;and the title-role heroine of Giuditta winds upperforming her ‘turn’ in a nightclub in Morocco,where she tells how ardent her kisses are.

Lehár’s new romantic, musically lush style,replete with folk music influences, is also to befelt in the scores of the Hungarian EmmerichKálmán, who absorbed elements of Americanragtime into his music. In his greatest success,Die Csárdásfürstin (1915), Sylva, the gypsyprincess of the title, makes a dazzling entranceto music that bristles with Magyar influences.

Surviving the jazz age of the 1920s, operettaexperienced its last great flourishing during theDepression that followed the crash of the stockmarket in 1929. Simple stories of love andromance were welcomed by audiences whowanted to escape the gloomy realities ofeveryday life. The genre also received a boost

with the advent of sound in movies; many of thegreat operettas were made into movie musicals,albeit with the stories changed and the scoresreduced to a few major hits.

Operettas for the theatre continued to bewritten, but gone were the connections withopera buffa that had existed in Johann Strauss’time. Instead of scores having large multi-movement finales and elaborate ensembles, thepush for ‘hit tunes’ moved the balance moretowards songs and duets, with refrains beingrepeated as dance breaks.

The one musical form that was consideredindispensable in any Viennese operetta was thegrand waltz. While scores such as The Mikado orOrphée aux Enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld)may not have required one to ensure theirsuccess, it was unthinkable for a German orAustrian operetta not to contain a waltz. Imaginethen the consternation of the directors of theGrand Theatre in Berlin when Ralph Benatzkyturned in a score to Im weissen Rössl (White

Horse Inn, 1930) that had no grand waltz. While there were numbers in triple time, theyreflected the Tyrolean setting of the piece andhad lyrics such as:

Happy cowsAs you browse

but this was hardly the stuff of romanticoperetta. In desperation, the theatre directorsturned to another composer, Robert Stolz, for

three additional numbers, one of which had tobe a grand waltz song. Stolz obliged and cameup with a song appropriately named Mein

Liebeslied muss ein Walzer sein (My Love

Song Must Be a Waltz).

The rise of the Nazi party in the 1930s was toshatter the highly successful career of PaulAbraham. Despite the immense popularity ofworks such as Viktoria und ihr Husar (Victoria

and Her Hussar, 1930) and Ball im Savoy (Ball

at the Savoy, 1932), he, his librettists and hisleading lady in many of his pieces, Gitta Alpar,were forced to leave Germany. Abrahamresettled in Vienna, Budapest, Paris and thenNew York, always just managing to stay one step ahead of the Nazis.

Fritz Kreisler is now remembered for hischarming encore pieces that are part of everyviolinist’s repertoire. He also wrote romanticsongs in the popular idiom of the day, for thestage and for film; which is where the songStars in My Eyes comes from. It was written in1936 for an English movie musical, The KingSteps Out, which was created to highlight thetalents of the glamorous Grace Moore who hadbeen a star of the Metropolitan Opera andwhose roles included Mimì in La bohème andthe title role in Charpentier’s opera Louise.

Clearly inspired by the Viennese operettatradition, Englishman Ivor Novello createdelaborate theatrical confections that lightened

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the mood in war-torn London. In theseextravaganzas, Novello wrote the book, the lyricsand the score; he acted and frequently dancedin them, always showing his celebrated profileto advantage; but he left the singing mostly toothers, notably his favourite soprano Mary Ellis.

This then leaves us with the title song of thisdisc, Vienna, City of My Dreams, which doesnot come from an operetta. Instead, it belongsto an immense genre called the Wienerliedwhere the glories – past and present – of thecity of Vienna are lovingly extolled in a song,admittedly through rose-coloured glasses. ThisWienerlied is the only one that is really familiarto English-speaking audiences, finding a place inthe recital repertoire of many great singers.

Andrew Greene

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Entrance of the Countess

1 Es hat dem Grafen nicht genützt, To no avail has the CountDas Warnen und das Bitten, warned me and begged me;Die Neugier ist in mir erwacht, curiosity is awakened in me,Ich bin hieher geritten! and so I rode here.Es steckt was dahinter, das ist klar, There is something behind it all, clearly,Den Grund muss ich erspäh’n. I must spy out the land.Ich finde alles, wie es war, I find everything as it was,So lieb, so traut, so schön! so dear, so trusty, so charming!

Grüss dich Gott, du liebes Nesterl! Greetings, my lovely little nest!Wie du warst, find’ ich dich noch, I find you just as you wereSo wie einst ich dich verlassen, when I left youAls mich drückt’ das Ehejoch! as the marriage-yoke pressed too hard!Oft, ach, schmollt’ ich da im Erker, Often I brooded there by the window,Weil der Graf just mich gefreit. because the Count left me to myself.Ach, wie oft an diesem Schreibtisch, Oh, how often at this deskKlagte ich Mama mein Leid! did I complain to Mama of my sorrows!Wie hab’ auf dir ich musiziert, On you poor spinet did I play music,Armes Spinett, dich malträtiert. or rather, mistreated you.Die Bibliothek! Mancher Roman, The library! So many novelsDen man wohl liest – doch nicht erleben kann! one could read – but not experience!Alter Homer, Wieland, Voltaire, Old Homer, Wieland, Voltaire,Euch hielt ich mir als Aufputz hier. I kept you here for show.Was seh’ ich da? Da schau, ei, ei! What do I see over there? Look here, my my!Der Casanova? Das ist mir neu! Casanova? That’s new to me!Mein Schlafgemach, es scheint wohl verlassen, My bedroom looks untouched,Alles ist so wie’s war, everything is as it was,Hier löst’ ich zaghaft mein Myrtenkränzchen here the bridal flowers fellBebend aus dem Haar! trembling from my hair!Hier nahm als Braut ich zitternd Here, as a bride IDen Schleier zögernd vom Gesicht, lifted the veil nervously from my face,Und aus den Augen flossen mir Tränen, and from my eyes flowed tears;

Na, heute heult’ ich nicht! no, today I won’t howl!Grüss dich Gott, du liebes Nesterl, God’s greetings to you, my lovely little nest,Wie du warst find’ ich dich noch, I find you just as you wereSo wie einst ich dich verlassen, when I left youAls mich drückt das Ehejoch! as the marriage-yoke pressed too hard!Doch wer weiss, es kann gelingen, But who knows,Dass du meine Neugier stillst, perhaps you can satisfy my curiosity,Und ich doch was Neues finde, and I will find out what is new,Das du mir verbergen willst! that you want to hide from me!

Schenkt man sich Rosen in Tirol

2 Schenkt man sich Rosen in Tirol In the Tyrol, when you give rosesWeiss man was das bedeuten soll: everyone knows what it means:Man schenkt die Rose nicht allein, it’s not just the rose you’re giving,Man gibt sich selber auch mit drein! you give yourself with it!Darf ich es wirklich so verstehen, Can I take it to mean the same here?Kann ich auf dieses Zeichen gehen, Can I act on this sign?Dann machst du wahrhaft selig mich, It would make me blissfully happySchenkst mit der Rose du auch dich! if, with a rose, you gave your own self.

Amsel und Star zieh’n jedes Jahr Each year the blackbird and the starlingNach ihrer Heimat wieder, return to their home again,Singen die alten Lieder. they sing the old songs.Hält mich das Glück hier jetzt zurück? Am I kept here by happiness?Wag’ es zu hoffen kaum, I hardly dare to hopeDenn in mir klingts wie ein Traum: as a dream chimes within me:

Schenkt man sich Rosen in Tirol… In the Tyrol, when you give roses…

Wien, du Stadt meiner Träume

3 Mein Herz und mein Sinn My heart and my mindSchwärmt stets nur für Wien, are always full of Vienna,Für Wien es weint, wie es lacht, in tears, or in laughter, Vienna.Da kenn ich mich aus, I know myself there;

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Da bin ich halt z’Haus I am at home there,Bei Tag und noch mehr bei der Nacht, by day and even more so by night;Und keiner bleibt kalt, and no one can be unmoved,Ob jung oder alt, whether young or old,Der Wien, wie es wirklich ist, kennt. who really knows the true Vienna.

Müsst ich einmal fort If I have to leaveVon dem schönem Ort, that most beautiful place,Da nähm’ meine Sehnsucht kein End? will there be no end to my longing?Dann hört ich aus weiter Ferne ein Lied, I hear a distant melody,Das klingt und singt, das lockt und zieht. it sounds and sings, it lures and draws me.

Wien, Wien, nur du allein Vienna, Vienna, only you aloneSollst stets die Stadt meiner Träume sein, shall remain the city of my dreams,Dort wo die alten Häuser stehn, its historic buildings,Dort wo die lieblichen Mädchen gehn. its lovely girls.Wien, Wien, nur du allein Vienna, Vienna, only youSollst stets die Stadt meiner Träume sein, shall remain the city of my dreams,Dort wo ich glücklich und selig bin I am fortunate and happyIst Wien, ist Wien, mein Wien! only in Vienna, Vienna, my Vienna!

Ob ich will oder net, Whether I want to or not,Nur hoff’ ich, recht spät, (but I hope, not too soon),Muss ich einmal fort von der Welt. one day I must depart from the world.Geschieden müss sein von Liebe und Wein, I will be parted from Love and from Wine,Weil alles, wie’s kommt, auch vergeht. because all things which come must also go.Ah das wird ganz schön, Oh it would be lovely,Ich brauch ja nicht z’gehn, if I didn’t have to go,Ich flieg doch in’ Himmel hinauf, but could fly up to Heaven,Dort setz’ ich mich hin, and sit myself there,Schau runter auf Wien, gazing down on Vienna,De Steffel, der grüsst ja herauf. greeting the dome of St Stephen’s once more.

Dann hört ich aus weiter Ferne ein Lied… Then I hear a distant melody…

Entrance Song

4 Heia, heia, Hey there,In den Bergen ist mein Heimatland! My homeland is in the mountains!Oheia, oheia! Oh hey there!Hoch dort oben meine Wiege stand, There, high above, was my cradle,Dort wo scheu blüht das Edelweiss, there where the edelweiss shyly blooms,Dort wo rings um glitzern Schnee und Eis. there where snow and ice glisten all around.Heia, oheia, Hey ho,Schlagen Herzen wild und heiss! Hearts beat wild and hot!

Wenn ein Siebenbürger Mädel If a girl from TransylvaniaSich in dich verliebt, falls in love with you,Nicht zum spielen, nicht zum scherzen it’s not playing, it’s not joking,Sie ihr Herz dir gibt. she gives you her heart.Willst du dir die Zeit vertreiben If you just want to kill time,Such’ ein and’res Schätzelein. seek another sweetheart. Bist du mein, musst mein du bleiben, If you are mine, you must remain mine,Musst mir deine Seel verschreiben, you must commit your soul to me,Muss ich Himmel dir und Hölle sein! I will be Heaven and Hell to you!Olala! So bin ich gebaut. La la! This is how I’m made.Olala! Auf dem Tanz! La la! To the dance!Kuss’ mich, ach, kuss’ mich, Kiss me, ah, kiss me;Denn wer am besten küssen, küssen kann, for the one who is best at kissing,Nur der wird mein Mann! only he shall be my husband!

Sei nicht bös’

5 Wo sie war die Müllerin, Where there was a miller-maid,Zog es auch den Fischer hin, a fisher-boy was drawn there too.Doch sie lachte ihn nur aus, But she only laughed at him,Denn sie wollte hoch hinaus! she had her sights set higher than that!Nachts, da er zum Fischen geht, At night, when he was going fishing,Klopft er leise an und fleht: he knocked lightly and implored:Werde mein und mach mir auf! Be mine, open up!

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Doch sie singt spöttisch drauf: But she sneeringly replied,Sei nicht bös’, es kann nicht sein, Don’t be cross, it cannot be;Sei nicht bös’, und schick dich drein, Don’t be cross, and send yourself away,Sei nicht bös’, und mach kein G’sicht, Don’t be cross, and don’t make a face,B’hüt’ dich Gott, vergiss mein nicht. God keep you, forget me not.

Kann nicht sein, It cannot be,Schick dich drein. send yourself away.Mach kein G’sicht… Don’t make a face…

Und zu zog die Müllerin And so the miller-maidIn die Welt mit stolzem Sinn. went off into the world with a proud mind.Endlich kommt sie wieder her, Finally she returned,Aber stolz ist sie nicht mehr. but she was no longer proud.Fährt nun nachts der Fischer aus, Now she went to the fisher-boy,Ruft sie bang zu ihm hinaus: and called out to him timidly:Tröste mich und komm zu mir! come and comfort me!Doch jetzt singt er zu ihr: But this time he sang to her:Sei nicht bös’,… Don’t be cross…

Einer wird kommen

6 Einer wird kommen, der wird mich begehren, Someone will come, who will desire me;Einer wird kommen, dem soll ich gehören. someone will come, to whom I should belong.Werd’ ich bei seinen Küssen erbeben? Will his kisses make me tremble?Werd’ ich der Liebe Wunder erleben? Shall I experience love’s miracle?Einer wird kommen, dem werd’ ich gehören. Someone will come to whom I shall belong.

Mir ist so bang, I feel so uncertain,Als hielt mich ein Traum befangen, as though embarrassed by a dream,Fiebernde Glut steigt a feverish glowHeiss mir zu Herz und Wangen. warms my heart and my cheeks.Schweigende Nacht mich lokkend umfängt The silent night lures and grabs meMit wonniger Macht die Sinne bedrängt, with a strange power, overcomes my senses;Ich möchte entflieh’n und wart’ doch auf ihn! I want to flee, and yet wait for him!

Wüsst’ ich doch, zieh’ ich das grosse Los, Yet I wish I knew: have I drawn the lucky card,Wird das Glück mir scheinen? will Fortune shine on me?Werd’ ich als Spielzeug blos Would I be a mere plaything,Diese Stund’ beweinen? and rue this hour?Werde, was will, daraus, Come what may,Liebe, nach dir, breite ich meine Arme aus! Love, to you I open my arms!

Einer wird kommen… Someone will come…

Nuns’ Chorus

7 Nonnen NunsOh Madonna auf uns sieh! O Madonna gaze on us!Schirm, du himmlische, uns’re Pfade, Protect our paths, heavenly one,Betend beugen wir das Knie, we pray on bended knee,Schenkt uns Gnade, heil’ge Marie. grant us mercy, Holy Mary.

Laura LauraOh Marie, O Mary,Wie entflieh’ how can I escapeIch dem Kloster und dem Schleier? from the cloister and the veil?Huldvoll sei, Be gracious,Schick’ herbei send a saviour to meMir noch heute den Befreier! here today!Auf dem Hauptaltar On the high altarBring’ ich Rosen dar I will place rosesDir zum Dank, dir zum Gruss, to give you thanks, to greet you,Tu ein Wunder tu’s! Perform a miracle, do!

Nonnen NunsOh Marie, O Mary,Segne sie, bless her,Nimmt sie heut’ den Nonnenschleier. today she takes the nun’s veil.Huldvoll sei, Be gracious,Komm und weih’ come and blessDeine Magd bei frommer Feier! your handmaid at the solemn celebration!

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Laura LauraAuf dem Hauptaltar On the high altarBring’ ich Rosen dar I will place rosesDir zum Dank, dir zum Gruss, to give you thanks, to greet you,Tu’s Maria, tu’s. Do it, Mary, do!

Nonnen NunsMit Gebet und Buss. With prayer and repentance.

Mein Liebeslied muss ein Walzer sein

8 Was mein Herz zu sagen hat, What my heart has said,Fühlst auch du, you feel too;Was die Uhr geschlagen hat, what hour the clock has struck,Weisst auch du. you know too.Und hast du kein Ohr für mich, And if you will not listen to me,Finde ich keine Ruh’, I shall find no peace,Drum hör zu, drum hör zu. so listen, listen.Sag’ ich es in Prosa dir, klingt es kühn. If I say it to you in prose, it sounds bold.Das ist nicht das Rechte für mein Gefühl. That is not right for my feelings.Aber, wenn die Geigen zärtlich für mich fleh’n But, if the violin sweetly pleads on my behalf,Wirst du gleich mich versteh’n: you will understand me:

Mein Liebeslied muss ein Walzer sein, My love song must be a waltz,Voll Blütenduft und voll Sonnenschein. full of floral scents and sunshine.Wenn beim ersten du, ich mich an dich schmieg, The first time that you and I cuddle up,Braucht mein Herz dazu süsse Walzermusik. my heart will need sweet waltz music.Mein Liebeslied muss ein Walzer sein, My love song must be a waltz,Der süss berauscht, wie Champagnerwein. sweetly intoxicating, like champagne.Und das Lied, das dir sagt, „Ich bin dein“, And the song which says, ‘I am yours’Kann doch nur ein Wiener Walzer sein. can only be a Viennese waltz.

Wenn der Liebe Lust und Schmerz einen packt, When Love bundles pleasure and pain together into one,Schlägt ein jedes Menschenherz seinen Takt! every human heart beats its own rhythm!Jeder singt für sich partout Everyone everywhere sings their own song

Und auch der Text dazu heisst: and that’s what the old saying means:„Chacun à son goût!“ ‘Each to their own!’Einer gibt den grössten Reiz der Gavott’ One is most attracted by the gavotte;Und der and’re seinerseits liebt mehr flott! another prefers, for his part, to love more quickly!Und es wechseln Moll und Dur, And it switches minor and major keys;Ja, c’est l’amour. Aber ich sage nur: yes, that is love. But I say only this:Mein Liebeslied… My love song must be a waltz…

Im Chambre séparée

9 Geh’n wir in’s Chambre séparée Let’s go into a private roomAch, zu dem süssen Tête-à-tête, for a sweet tête-à-tête,Dort beim Champagner und beim Souper, there with champagne and with supper,Man alles sich leichter gesteht! one can confess more easily!Geh’n wir in’s Chambre séparée… Let’s go into a private room…

Ach, kommen Sie, mein Herr, dass ich gestehe, Ah, come, sir, that I may confess,Was längst für Sie ich ja empfinde, what I have felt for you so long,So kommen Sie zum Tête-à-tête und zum Souper, come for a tête-à-tête and supper,Dass ich gestehe, ja gestehe, so that I may confess, yes confess,Was längst für Sie ich ja empfinde, what I have felt for you so long,Dort beim Champagner und beim Souper… there with champagne and supper…

Ach, kommen Sie zum Tête-à-tête Ah, come for a tête-à-têteIm Chambre séparée. in a private room.

Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiss

0 Ich weiss es selber nicht, I really don’t knowWarum man gleich von Liebe spricht, why men immediately talk of love,Wenn man in meiner Nähe ist, as soon as they’re near me,In meine Augen schaut und meine Hände küsst. why they gaze into my eyes and kiss my hands.Ich weiss es selber nicht, I really don’t knowWarum man von dem Zauber spricht. why men talk about magic.Denn keine widersteht, None can resist,

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Wenn sie mich sieht, wenn sie an mir vorüber geht. when they see me, when they pass me.Doch wenn das rote Licht erglüht, But when the red light glows,Zur mitternächt’gen Stund’ at the midnight hour,Und alle lauschen meinem Lied, and everyone listens to my song,Dann wird mir klar der Grund. then the reason becomes clear.

Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiss, My lips kiss so hotly,Meine Glieder sind schmiegsam und weiss. my limbs are pliant and white.In den Sternen, da steht es geschrieben, It is written in the stars,Du sollst küssen, du sollst lieben. you should kiss, you should love.Meine Füsse, sie schweben dahin, My feet, they float along,Meine Augen, sie locken und glühn. my eyes, they beckon and glow.Und ich tanz’ wie im Rausch, And I dance as though I’m intoxicated,Denn ich weiss, because I know,Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiss. my lips kiss so hotly.

In meinen Adern drin, In my veinsDa läuft das Blut der Tänzerin, runs the blood of a dancer;Denn meine schöne Mutter war my mother was Des Tanzes Königin im gold’nen Alcazar. Queen of the Dance in golden Alcazar.

Sie war so wunderschön, She was so marvellous,Ich hab’ sie oft im Traum geseh’n. I have often seen her in dreams.Schlug sie das Tambourin She struck the tambourineSo wild im Tanz, so wildly in her dance, Da sah man alle Augen glüh’n. that everyone’s eyes lit up.Sie ist in mir aufs Neu’ erwacht, Her spirit wakes in me again,Ich hab’ das gleiche Los. I have the same destiny.Ich tanz’ wie sie um Mitternacht I dance like her at midnightUnd fühl’ das Eine bloss: and know just one thing:Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiss… My lips kiss so hotly…

Vilia

! Let’s all now awaken memories.We’ll sing our native melodies,And find a song that we all know,The tale of Vilia long ago.

A Vilia who lived by a cool forest glade,Had fallen asleep in the deep leafy shade.A youth wandered near to the place where

she lay,Her beauty entranced him, he’d not look away.

Suddenly the nymph awoke, and music filled the air above,

How he sighed, swearing eternal love.Vilia, oh Vilia, O nymph of delight,Haunting the woodland, enchanting the night.Vilia, oh Vilia, be tender, be true.Love me, and I’ll die for you.

Vilia, oh Vilia…

She then wove a spell with a wave of her hand,Transporting him into a strange fairyland.No mortal e’er knew such enchanting delight,Entwined in her arms for one magical night.

Suddenly at dawn of day, she vanished far away,Hill and vale echo to his mournful tale.

Vilia, oh Vilia…

The Merry Widow Waltz

@ Love unspoken, faith unbroken,All life through.Strings are playing, hear them saying,‘Love me true.’Now the echo answers,‘Say you want me too.’All the world’s in love with loveAnd I love you.

I hear the music play,It carries me away.All sorrow will have flownWhen you are mine and mine alone.

So that music seems to singWhile still not saying anything. It’s wanting you to knowI love you so.

Now the echo answers…

1918

Hör’ ich Cymbalklänge

£ Hör’ ich Cymbalklänge, When I hear the sound of the cimbalom,Wird ums Herz mir enge, it makes my heart contract;Süsses Land der Muttersprache, sweet land of my mother-tongue,Heimatland! Homeland!Seufz’ nach deinen Wäldern, I sigh for your forests,Nach den gold’nen Feldern, for your golden fields,Sehne mich nach dir, I long for you,Mein süsses Ungàrland! my sweet Hungary!

Ziehst du weit hinaus, If you travel far,Gehst die Welt du aus, wide across the world,Überall ist’s schön und doch everything is beautiful Am schönsten ist’s zu-haus! and yet home is the most beautiful!Hör’ ich Cymbalklänge… When I hear the sound of the cimbalom…

Macht nichts! Hol’s der Teufel! Doesn’t matter! Curse it!Macht nichts! Ohne zweifel Doesn’t matter! Without a doubtKann der Mensch nicht immer traurig sein! people can’t always be sad!Liebt mein Schatz mich nimmer, If my sweetheart never loves me,Find’t man And’re immer, one always finds another,Schad’ um jede Träne, die ich wein’! shame on every tear that I cry!

Will nicht ohne Küsse leben, nein, nein! Don’t want to live without kisses, no, no!Keine Stunde ohne Liebsten sein! Don’t want to be without a lover for an hour!Jaj, jaj, hol’s der Teufel! Yes, yes, curse it!Jaj, jaj, ohne Zweifel, Yes, yes, without a doubtImmer kann der Mensch nicht traurig sein! people can’t always be sad!Will nicht ohne Küsse leben… Don’t want to live without kisses…

Stars in My Eyes

$ My song has wings,Eternal springs,No longer but a dream.My cheeks aglow, Emotions flowLike sunlight on a stream.

My step is gayAlong my wayThe roses bloom at my feet.My love’s arranged,My being’s changed,My life is now complete.

Stars in my eyes tell how I feelFor this tender passion is real.I am loved, I am blessed;All that eager longing is laid to rest.Stars in my eyes will always shineWhile your heart beats with mine.Till your love for me diesThere’ll be stars in my eyes.

Toujours l’amour

% Ich war verliebt, wie jede Frau, I was loved, like every woman,Ich ward enttäuscht, wie jede Frau, I was disappointed, like every woman,Das ist vorbei, nun bin ich frei, will leben! that’s all past, now I am free, I want to live!

Die Liebe kommt, die Liebe geht, Love comes, Love goes,Für einen Kuss ist’s nie zu spät, it’s never too late for a kiss;Wer immer kommt, ich will mein Herz ihm geben! whoever comes, I’ll give my heart to him!

Toujours l’amour, das ist mein Prinzip, All for love, that is my principle,Ich liebe die Liebe allein. I love only Love.Toujours l’amour, wohin sie mich trieb, All for love, wherever it drove me,Dort wusste ich glücklich zu sein! there I knew how to be happy!

Was sind mir die Männer gewesen? What were men to me?Romane, nur flüchtig gelesen! Novels, only fleetingly read!Toujours l’amour, ich bleibe dabei: All for love, I stand by that:Ich bin stets der Liebe nur treu! I only stay true to Love!

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Sie ist kokett, wie jede Frau, She is a coquette, like every woman;sie spielt mit mir, wie jede Frau, She plays with me, like every woman;doch sieht man gleich, but one can seesie ist ein Weib von Rasse. she’s a real woman.

Wohl wunderschön, doch raffiniert, Quite wonderful, yet refined,Ich kenn’ mich aus, ich bin versiert, I know my way around, I am experienced,Wohl Demimonde, jedoch von grosser Klasse. quite of the demi-monde yet high class.

Toujours l’amour… All for love…

Some Day My Heart Will Awake

^ Some day my heart will awake,Some day the morning will break.Music will open my eyes,Showing the skies golden with rapture.Maybe this gentle refrainSome day will echo again,Bringing my lover’s caress,Bidding my heart say ‘Yes’.

Lazy heart! Lazy heart!The leaves of summer fall and die,But still you drift along the stream,Not even troubled by a dream.The birds are mating,But while you’re waitingTime slips by.

Someday my heart will awake…

My Dearest Dear

& My dearest dear,If I could say to youIn words as clearAs when I play to you,You’d understand

How slight the shadow that is holding us apart.So take my hand,I’ll lead the way for you.A little waiting and you’ll reach my heart.

Your lonely hours will spread their wings and fly;The passing show’rs will only pass you by.If you can trust me, trust the secret in my song.When love is true the road is never long.

My dearest dear…

Good Night

* Einmal, da schlägt für uns die Stunde, Once, there was a timeIn der wir unser Sehnen einsam tragen. when we bore our longings alone.Einmal, da blutet eine Wunde, Once, a wound was bleeding,Und du musst unter Tränen zu mir sagen: and through tears you said to me:

Reich’ mir zum Abschied noch einmal die Hände! Give me your hands just once in farewell!Good night! Good night! Good night! Good night! Good night! Good night!Schön war das Märchen, nun ist es zu Ende. It was a lovely fairytale, now it must end.Good night! Good night! Good night! Good night! Good night! Good night!Still kommt der Abend, wir fühlen es kaum, Quietly comes the evening, we hardly feel it,Liebe und Glück sind nur ein Traum! Love and happiness are only a dream!Reich’ mir zum Abschied noch einmal die Hände! Give me your hands just once in farewell!Good night! Good night! Good night! Good night!

Einmal, da wirst du an mich denken, Once, you will think of me,Jedoch dein Mund wird schweigen but your mouth will be silent

und nicht fragen! and not question!Einmal, da wirst den Blick du senken, Once, you will glance away,Wenn die verliebten Geigen leise klagen: when the dear violin lightly plays:

Reich’ mir zum Abschied… Give me your hands…

English translations by K.P. Kemp

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Yvonne Kenny AM

Yvonne Kenny is one of the most distinguishedsopranos of her generation. Born in Sydney, shemade her operatic debut in 1975 in Donizetti’sRosmonda d’Inghilterra at the Queen ElizabethHall in London. After winning the KathleenFerrier Competition she joined the Royal OperaHouse, Covent Garden, where her roles haveincluded Pamina (The Magic Flute), Ilia(Idomeneo), Marzelline (Fidelio), Oscar (AMasked Ball ), Susanna (The Marriage of Figaro),Adina (The Elixir of Love), Liu (Turandot ), Aspasia(Mitridate) and Donna Anna (Don Giovanni ).

She has built herself an enviable internationalreputation as a interpreter of Handel’s sopranoroles and has enjoyed particular success in thetitle roles in Semele and Alcina (Covent Garden,La Fenice, Venice and Opéra de Nancy); Romilda(Xerxes) for English National Opera and BavarianState Opera; Cleopatra (Julius Caesar ) andArmida (Rinaldo) for Opera Australia (winning aGreen Room Award for the former); and the titlerole in Deborah at the BBC Proms concerts.

International appearances have includedSusanna, Cinna (Lucia Silla) and The Countess(Capriccio) for Vienna State Opera; Pamina at LaScala; The Countess (Capriccio) and the title rolein La Didone at the Staatsoper, Berlin; DonnaElvira (Don Giovanni ) in Paris, Zurich and atGlyndebourne; Oscar for Hamburg Opera; TheMarschallin (Der Rosenkavalier ) and Purcell’s The

Fairy Queen for English National Opera; and TheCountess (The Marriage of Figaro) forWashington Opera and Bavarian State Opera.She returns frequently to Australia where shehas sung Gilda (Rigoletto), Pamina, Susanna,Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), Cleopatra, Alice Ford(Falstaff ) and the title toles in Maria Stuarda,Alcina, Massenet’s Manon and The Coronationof Poppea.

Yvonne Kenny appears regularly on the concertplatform throughout Europe and North Americaand has appeared at the Edinburgh, Salzburgand Aix-en-Provence Festivals; in Carnegie Hall;and as a regular guest at the BBC Promsconcerts. She was also the first artist to give anofficial performance at the newly reopenedRoyal Opera House (a recital in Floral Hall). InAustralia she has appeared with Bryn Terfel atLeeuwin Estate Winery in Western Australia –televised nationally by the ABC – and she hastoured for Musica Viva, the Australian ChamberOrchestra and the Australian BrandenburgOrchestra as well as being a regular guest withthe Australian symphony orchestras in a broadrange of repertoire.

Her numerous recordings include Mozart’s TheMarriage of Figaro, The Abduction from theSeraglio, Mitridate and Lucio Silla; Elgar’s TheKingdom; Stravinsky’s Pulcinella; Britten’s TheBeggar’s Opera and Gloriana; Handel’s Deborah;a collection of Mozart arias with the AustralianChamber Orchestra; The Marschallin in Der

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Rosenkavalier and a disc of Great Operatic Arias.She is internationally recognised for herrecordings of French and Italian bel cantorepertoire for Opera Rara, including the award-winning Emilia di Liverpool and most recentlyEntre Nous; and was the voice of Dame NellieMelba in the TV mini-series. On the ABCClassics label her recordings include the award-winning Simple Gifts, Something Wonderful,Handel Arias with the Australian BrandenburgOrchestra (Best Classical Recording in the 1998ARIA Awards), A Christmas Gift, A Portrait ofYvonne Kenny, a recording of Broadway songsentitled Make Believe, The Salley Gardens,Clair de lune and, most recently, The DivineYvonne Kenny.

Richard Bonynge AO, CBE

Maestro Richard Bonynge was born in Sydneyand studied piano at the New South WalesConservatorium of Music and the Royal Collegeof Music, London. He made his conductingdebut in Rome in 1962 with the Santa CeciliaOrchestra and has since conducted at most ofthe world’s opera houses. He was ArtisticDirector of Vancouver Opera and MusicalDirector of Australian Opera. He was made aCommander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1977,Officer of the Order of Australia in 1983,Commandeur de l’Ordre National des Arts etdes Lettres, Paris in 1989 and made an honorarymember of the Royal Philharmonic Academy of

Bologna in 2007. He married the soprano JoanSutherland in 1954 and has one son.

He recorded over fifty complete operas, has madevideos and DVDs of many operas and recordednumerous ballets. As a conductor RichardBonynge is widely regarded as beingextraordinarily sympathetic to singers on the stageand his instinct, knowledge and feel for voiceshave become legendary. He is acknowledged as ascholar of bel canto, 19th-century French operaand 19th-century ballet music.

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

With a reputation for excellence, versatility andinnovation the Melbourne Symphony Orchestrais Australia’s internationally-acclaimed and oldestorchestra, founded in 1906. Following integrationwith the Melbourne Chorale in 2008, theOrchestra has responsibility for its own choir –the MSO Chorus.

The Orchestra is renowned for its performancesof the great symphonic masterworks withleading international and Australian artists. It hasalso enjoyed hugely successful performanceswith popular artists including Elton John, DionneWarwick, Harry Connick Jr, Ben Folds, BurtBacharach, Meat Loaf and KISS.

The MSO has received widespread internationalrecognition in overseas tours including Europe(2000), China (2002) and St Petersburg, Russia

(2003). In 2007 Chief Conductor and ArtisticDirector Oleg Caetani led the Orchestra on itssecond highly successful European tour toSpain, Paris, Berlin and Milan.

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Pty Ltd is amember of the Symphony Australia network. TheOrchestra is funded principally by the AustraliaCouncil, the Commonwealth Government’s artsfunding and advisory body, and is generouslysupported by the Victorian Government through ArtsVictoria, Department of Premier and Cabinet. TheMSO is also funded by the City of Melbourne; itsPrincipal Partner, Emirates; and individual andcorporate sponsors and donors.

MSO CHORUS

Jonathan Grieves-Smith chorus master

Under the artistic leadership of Chorus MasterJonathan Grieves-Smith, the MelbourneSymphony Orchestra Chorus has established anenviable reputation for the inspiring standardsof its singers and the breadth of its artisticvision. The Chorus sings regularly with theworld’s finest conductors, including OlegCaetani, Markus Stenz, Yan Pascal Tortelier, Edo de Waart, Sir Charles Mackerras, MarkWigglesworth and Manfred Honeck. Recenthighlights with the MSO include Verdi’s Otello,Kancheli’s Styx, the Orchestra’s 100thanniversary concert of Beethoven’s SymphonyNo. 9, Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius andPuccini’s The Girl of the Golden West.

The MSO Chorus is committed to developingAustralian and international choral repertoire.Recent commissions include Brett Dean’s Katzund Spatz (co-comissioned with the SwedishRadio Choir), Ross Edwards’ Mountain Chant(co-commissioned with Cantillation), ChristopherWillcock’s Miserere and Etiquette with Angelsand Ian Munro’s Libera me. Recent Australianpremieres include works by James MacMillan,Arvo Pärt, Hans Werner Henze, Alfred Schnittke,Gavin Bryars and Valentin Silvestrov.

Guest engagements have included appearanceswith The Australian Ballet, Sydney SymphonyOrchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra,Barbra Streisand, Andrea Bocelli and JohnFarnham and performances at the MelbourneInternational Arts Festival, Sydney Olympic ArtsFestival, Castlemaine Festival, The FremantleFestival and for the Macedon and PeninsulaMusic Societies. In July 2008 the MSO Chorusmade its international debut visiting KualaLumpur for performances of Beethoven’sSymphony No. 9, in partnership with theMalaysian Philharmonic Orchestra underconductor Matthias Bamert.

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Executive Producers Martin Buzacott, Robert PattersonRecording Producer Stephen SnellemanRecording Engineer Jim AtkinsEngineering/Editing Alex StinsonEditorial and Production Manager Hilary Shrubb, Katherine Kemp Publications Editor Natalie SheaBooklet Design Imagecorp Pty LtdCover Photo Paul GosneyVocal Coach Sharolyn KimmorleyCimbalom Sample Keyboard Technician Robert ClarkMusic Copying Vi King Lim, Julie Simonds, Jessica Wells, Craig Allister Young

For the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Oleg CaetaniChairman Elizabeth ProustManaging Director Trevor Green

Recorded 4-8 February and 5 and 7 May 2008 in the IwakiAuditorium of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’sSouthbank Centre, Melbourne.

1-5, 7, 9, $, %, * are published by Josef Weinberger Ltd.6, 0-£ are published by Glocken Verlag.8, ^, & are published by Samuel French.

ABC Classics thanks Alastair McKean, Alexandra Alewood and Melissa Kennedy.

� 2008 Australian Broadcasting Corporation. � 2008 AustralianBroadcasting Corporation. Distributed in Australia and New Zealand byUniversal Music Group, under exclusive licence. Made in Australia. All rightsof the owner of copyright reserved. Any copying, renting, lending, diffusion,public performance or broadcast of this record without the authority of thecopyright owner is prohibited.