"Freunde, das Leben ist lebenswert" – Franz Lehár Gala

Franz Lehar is sometimes called the king of "Silver Age" Viennese operetta but this gala Lehár recital from Stuttgart is pure gold – beginning, naturally, with the Gold and Silver Waltz, and ending with that most unforgettable of all operetta melodies, the "Vilja-Lied" from The Merry Widow. In between come old Richard Tauber favourites – sung here by the charismatic Mexican-born tenor Francesco Araiza – as well as less familiar (but equally mouth-watering) numbers from Paganini, The Tsarevich, The Land of Smiles, Wiener Frauen and Giuditta, sung by a starry lineup of singers and conducted with an inimitable Viennese swing by Lehár specialist Roland Seiffarth.