Marking 150 years since the birth of Franz Lehár – and recalling the long-running Proms tradition of the ‘Viennese Night’ begun in the 1950s – we step into the gilded ballroom of operetta, evoking the glamour and sophistication of turn-of-the-century Vienna.
Clink your glasses to an evening of champagne-filled romance and melody featuring excerpts from Lehár’s most popular titles such as The Merry Widow, The Land of Smiles and Giuditta, as well as music by fellow creators of the ‘Silver Age’ of Viennese operetta – and excerpts from the most enduring and popular operetta of them all, Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus (‘The Bat’). The ever-stylish BBC Concert Orchestra graces the stage, under its Principal Conductor Bramwell Tovey.
It will not be possible to have an audience at the Royal Albert Hall.
Live on BBC Radio 3 & live-streamed to BBC iPlayer
Image: Sophie Bevan © Sussie Ahlburg