It’s the return of a tradition on this week’s Sunday Opera (1/1 3:00 p.m.) with a gala performance of Johann Strauss’ “Die Fledermaus” featuring a star-studded cast that includes Waldemar Kmentt, Hilde Gueden, Erika Koth, Walter Berry, Eberhard Wachter, Giuseppe Zampieri, and Regina Resnik.
This delightful comedy deals with a philandering husband, a resourceful wife, a fun-loving maid, mistaken identities, disguises, a gala concert, and a watch! Adding to the fun is the wonderful concert at Prince Orlofsky’s ball.
On this 1960 recording, we also have an incredible cast who join in the fun at Prince Orlofsky’s ball. These singers include Renata Tebaldi, Fernando Corena, Birgit Nilsson, Mario del Monaco, Teresa Berganza, Joan Sutherland, Jussi Bjorling, Leontyne Price, Ljuba Welitsch, and an incredible duet featuring Giulietta Simionato and Ettore Bastianini.
Herbert von Karajan conducts the Vienna State Opera Chorus and the Vienna Philharmonic.
Stay tuned after the opera for another European New Years tradition: waltzes. Waltz your way into the New Year with selections by Johann Strauss, II, Sergei Prokofiev, Emile Waldteufel, and Josef Strass. Join Michael Kownacky for an afternoon of glorious singing and charming waltzes to welcome 2023.