reviews


“Operettts“ at the Volksoper An operetta evening at the Volksoper Vienna, performed by three tenors. Karl Löbl © TZ Österreich Three tenors, each world-renowned, together on the stage. We had that already, but unfortunately it is over. Three tenors – all of them ensemble members of the Volksoper – together on stage, that’s new for us. “operettts” – with three Ts, one for each tenor – that’s the name of this programme. On Friday this production, which had already been successfully performed in Lower Austria, had its premiere in Vienna. Also the audience of the Volksoper seemed to be happy to have the chance of enjoying hits out of two dozens of operettas and favourite melodies nonstop. Thomas Sigwald, Mehrzad Montazeri and Thomas Markus presented tenor effects, some jokes, even self-mockery and pretended to be rivals. They were, however, a well-rehearsed terzet, that presented this musical medley full of operetta charm, which appealed to the public. Christian Koch, not lost of points, excellently joined in by accompanying them on the piano. There wasn’t any lack of laughter and applause. In future closing days could - thanks to “operettts” - easily be avoided. Karl Löbl Kronen Zeitung Volksoper: Director Meyer offers a new attraction: “operettts” (with three Ts) stands for three tenors, who – full of enthusiasm, good mood, wit and lots of gags – arrange catchy tunes, evergreens and dancing pieces of the “light genre” to a revue of the most delightful melodies. The idea for it comes from Thomas Sigwald, who, together with Thomas Enzinger (direction), presents a varied mixture of musical pieces. And the audience really enjoys it. Hardly any gag is missed out, such as a mobile phone call, that ends in a talkshow followed by the howling of the audience. They all sing respectably. Thomas Sigwald’s attractive tenor voice belts out “Dein ist mein ganzes Herz” ( “You are My Heart’s Delight”) and Mehrzad Montazeri sings “Oh Mädchen, mein Mädchen” (“O Maiden, My Maiden”) with powerful voice. Thomas Markus not only scores with his wide range of vocal means, but also knows how to attract even more attention by slightly swaying his hips in operetta style. Christian Koch reliably accompanies the singers, masterly caring for them. He hasn’t only got a special talent for extemporizing on the piano, but also supports his partners singing and acting along. A cheerful amusing evenig in the Volksoper, during which the team actually risks only a few excursions to the dreamland of the great operetta, but nevertheless gets the audience on their side with their witty programme. Florian Kronstetter Volksoper: 0.3 tenors and the Tauber songs “Die Presse” Cheering for a cabaret programme that hits out at operetta manners. If you go by the “giggling statistics of the laugh barometer”, this was a great moment of the Volkoper. The name of the show: “operettts” – written with three Ts, one for each of the three tenors, accompanied by a fourth bod, who is definitely fond of singing and also able to play the piano. Thomas Sigwald devised this show, and together with Mehrzad Montazeri and Thomas Markus he definitely amuses the audience with it. They offer slapstick – grade Muckenstruntz & Bamschabel – and an evening performance full of parody, easiy understood by repeatedly attacking and varying the stereotypes associated with the characters of tenors and with all the vanities of stage heroes. The basic idea is to use clownishly parodied pieces of popular operettas for a stage parody that occasionally seems to be even self critical. Singers, who envy each other for their success, who try to eliminate their rivals with little nasty tricks, and who , at any rate, want to hold the top note for a longer time than their partners. Arguments of that kind are well known from stories about opera stars like Birgit Nilsson or Franco Corelli.So why shouldn’t they – taken from the life of Volksoper tenors – become subject of cynical flagellantism. .....The pianist Christian Koch doesn’t only turn out to be a brilliant arranger, showing that clapping along during the Radetzky March can easily be transferred to other two-four time hits, but he even encourages the audience to sing along. And it really works. As the saying goes with Thomas Bernhard: “Fill them with enthusiasm, obviously.” W.Sinkovicz NÖN (Lower Austrian News) Tenors are vain and cockeyed; so says the prejudice. Just by means of this cliché Thomas Sigwald (mental father and producer of “operettts”), Mehrzad Montazeri and Thomas Markus formed a musical extraordinary, wonderful self-ironic concert evening. Recently they were guests at the operetta-metropolis Baden (municipal theatre of Baden). Accompanied by the ingenious Christian Koch on the piano, who accounts for a lot to this diversified program, the three of them scoff at everything which should be hold sacred to operetta tenors within the operetta – and thus create just an ever and anon deeply moving declaration of love to the light muse, in surprisingly comical detours. Conclusion: A declaration of love for the operetta at the highest stage of entertainment. 2.7.2007; – TJ –

“Operettts“ at the Volksoper

An operetta evening at the Volksoper Vienna, performed by three tenors.

Karl Löbl
© TZ Österreich

Three tenors, each world-renowned, together on the stage. We had that already, but unfortunately it is over. Three tenors – all of them ensemble members of the Volksoper – together on stage, that’s new for us. “operettts” – with three Ts, one for each tenor – that’s the name of this programme. On Friday this production, which had already been successfully performed in Lower Austria, had its premiere in Vienna.
Also the audience of the Volksoper seemed to be happy to have the chance of enjoying hits out of two dozens of operettas and favourite melodies nonstop. Thomas Sigwald, Mehrzad Montazeri and Thomas Markus presented tenor effects, some jokes, even self-mockery and pretended to be rivals.
They were, however, a well-rehearsed terzet, that presented this musical medley full of operetta charm, which appealed to the public. Christian Koch, not lost of points, excellently joined in by accompanying them on the piano.
There wasn’t any lack of laughter and applause. In future closing days could - thanks to “operettts” - easily be avoided.

Karl Löbl

Kronen Zeitung

Volksoper: Director Meyer offers a new attraction:

“operettts” (with three Ts) stands for three tenors, who – full of enthusiasm, good mood, wit and lots of gags – arrange catchy tunes, evergreens and dancing pieces of the “light genre” to a revue of the most delightful melodies.
The idea for it comes from Thomas Sigwald, who, together with Thomas Enzinger (direction), presents a varied mixture of musical pieces. And the audience really enjoys it.
Hardly any gag is missed out, such as a mobile phone call, that ends in a talkshow followed by the howling of the audience.
They all sing respectably. Thomas Sigwald’s attractive tenor voice belts out “Dein ist mein ganzes Herz” ( “You are My Heart’s Delight”) and Mehrzad Montazeri sings “Oh Mädchen, mein Mädchen” (“O Maiden, My Maiden”) with powerful voice. Thomas Markus not only scores with his wide range of vocal means, but also knows how to attract even more attention by slightly swaying his hips in operetta style.
Christian Koch reliably accompanies the singers, masterly caring for them. He hasn’t only got a special talent for extemporizing on the piano, but also supports his partners singing and acting along.
A cheerful amusing evenig in the Volksoper, during which the team actually risks only a few excursions to the dreamland of the great operetta, but nevertheless gets the audience on their side with their witty programme.

Florian Kronstetter

Volksoper: 0.3 tenors and the Tauber songs

“Die Presse”

Cheering for a cabaret programme that hits out at operetta manners.

If you go by the “giggling statistics of the laugh barometer”, this was a great moment of the Volkoper.
The name of the show: “operettts” – written with three Ts, one for each of the three tenors, accompanied by a fourth bod, who is definitely fond of singing and also able to play the piano.
Thomas Sigwald devised this show, and together with Mehrzad Montazeri and Thomas Markus he definitely amuses the audience with it.
They offer slapstick – grade Muckenstruntz & Bamschabel – and an evening performance full of parody, easiy understood by repeatedly attacking and varying the stereotypes associated with the characters of tenors and with all the vanities of stage heroes.
The basic idea is to use clownishly parodied pieces of popular operettas for a stage parody that occasionally seems to be even self critical.
Singers, who envy each other for their success, who try to eliminate their rivals with little nasty tricks, and who , at any rate, want to hold the top note for a longer time than their partners.
Arguments of that kind are well known from stories about opera stars like Birgit Nilsson or Franco Corelli.So why shouldn’t they – taken from the life of Volksoper tenors – become subject of cynical flagellantism.
.....The pianist Christian Koch doesn’t only turn out to be a brilliant arranger, showing that clapping along during the Radetzky March can easily be transferred to other two-four time hits, but he even encourages the audience to sing along. And it really works.
As the saying goes with Thomas Bernhard: “Fill them with enthusiasm, obviously.”

W.Sinkovicz

NÖN
(Lower Austrian News)

Tenors are vain and cockeyed; so says the prejudice. Just by means of this cliché Thomas Sigwald (mental father and producer of “operettts”), Mehrzad Montazeri and Thomas Markus formed a musical extraordinary, wonderful self-ironic concert evening. Recently they were guests at the operetta-metropolis Baden (municipal theatre of Baden).
Accompanied by the ingenious Christian Koch on the piano, who accounts for a lot to this diversified program, the three of them scoff at everything which should be hold sacred to operetta tenors within the operetta – and thus create just an ever and anon deeply moving declaration of love to the light muse, in surprisingly comical detours.
Conclusion: A declaration of love for the operetta at the highest stage of entertainment.

2.7.2007; – TJ –