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Die Fledermaus (1874) is the ultimate Viennese operetta, composed by Johann Strauss Jr., the most famous member of the Strauss Waltz Dynasty. Once conceived as an attempt to creatively outgrow the dance-hall, the operetta was a huge success from the outset and still enchants audiences today with it's unmistakably Viennese mix of comedy and sophistication and it's uplifting waltz rhythms. This album is imbued with a specifically Viennese charm thanks to the inclusion of dialogues written by tenor Nikolai Schukoff, who also sings the role of Eisenstein. Schukoff teams up with a cast of specialist singers with a rich experience on the operatic and operetta stage, including Laura Aikin (Rosalinde), Jochen Schmeckenbecher (Frank), Elisabeth Kulman (Prinz Orlofsky), Christian Elsner (Alfred), Matthias Hausmann (Dr. Falke), Alexander Kaimbacher (Dr. Blind), Annika Gerhards (Adele), Alice Waginger (Ida) and Kurt Rydl (Frosch). These soloists are accompanied by the WDR Rundfunkchor, NDR Radiophilharmonie and Maestro Lawrence Foster. Orchestra and conductor both have a vast PENTATONE discography, including a recording of Johann Strauss Jr.'s Der Zigeunerbaron (2016).
