Die lustige Witwe

Pontevedrino - once the richest state in Europe - is broke. To avert the threat of bankruptcy, Parisian ambassador Baron Zeta plans to marry off his secretary Danilo to the filthy rich widow Hanna Glawari, but the fun-loving young widow knows how to keep her money-hungry suitors at bay. The worldwide success of The Merry Widow in 1905 marked the birth of the modern operetta, also known as "silvery" or "romantic," following in the footsteps of Offenbach and Strauss. With its dazzling new orchestration and modern portrayal of love, the work became the model for an entire era, never to be equaled