Monday, April 4, 2011

Angela Gheorghiu as Madeleine de Faublas

"Ball im Savoy (Ball at the Savoy) is an operetta in three acts and a prelude by Paul Abraham to a libretto by Alfred Grünwald and Fritz Löhner-Beda. It premiered on December 23, 1932, at the Großes Schauspielhaus, Berlin. The English language premiere was on 8 September 8, 1933, at the Drury Lane Theatre, London, under the title Ball At The Savoy. This was Abraham's last major success. Although Ball im Savoy is a relatively recent operetta, its characters follow the classic scheme: Aristide (tenor) is a rueful rake, excruciated by the possible betrayal. Madeleine (soprano) is a more modern person, ready to give as good as she gets, albeit plagued by scruples: a feminist before the term existed, who receives approval from the other women. Mustafa represents the stock comic. More interesting is Daisy (soubrette): sly, brave, she knows what she wants and how to get it." [Source] Watch the video after the jump to see Ms. Gheorghiu rocking the Alexis Carrington look that was so hot in the 1980s as she sings "Toujours l'Amour."