Lehar Das Land des Lachelns

The Land of Smiles was, after The Merry Widow, the biggest of Lehar's successes, an unusually tragic and serious operetta that he rewrote from an earlier failure, The Yellow Jacket. Richard Tauber originated the role of Prince Sou-Chong, the Chinese diplomat, and everyone since has stood in his shadow. A very serious work for an operetta, it is filled with achingly beautiful melodies and complex characterizations, as well as a score of Puccini-like delicacy and richness. This cast manages to bring it off — Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, in the full flower of her youth, makes a delectable Lisa, and Nicolai Gedda is a compellingly tragic Prince Sou-Chong. Only the somewhat compressed 1953 monaural sound may give one pause, and renders this a choice for historical significance.