Halfing Festival Hall hosts the events of the annual Immling Festival.
PremiereThe Land of Smiles
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Immling Festival 2023
The festival on the Gutshof near Halfing is a must, especially for opera lovers. Since the first event by Ludwig Baumann, the riding hall has now been converted into an air-conditioned festival hall with the most comfortable seating. The ensemble consists of international singers with several own opera productions. The events, which now have cult status, range from studio concerts to youth operas.
Culture clash from Austria to China with Viennese charm & Sachertorte, Buddha & lotus blossom - that's what Das Land des Smiles promises , an operetta in three acts by Franz Lehár, premiered in 1929 in Berlin's Metropol-Theater.
Vienna, 1912. Winning a horse show and the birthday of his own daughter give Count von Lichtenfels twice the reason to throw a lavish party. Lisa, the birthday girl, promptly falls in love with Prince Sou-Chong, who is also a guest: his exotic aura, his special appearance, his reserved manner - all of this fascinates the young Austrian.
Finally she follows the prince to China, against all warnings and critical voices from home. Together with him she ends up in Beijing, in the "Land of Smiles", and cultural differences and thus unexpected sides of the beloved soon become apparent. Lisa longs to return to her homeland.
The Land of Smiles (German: Das Land des Lächelns) is a romantic operetta in three acts by Franz Lehár. The German language libretto was by Ludwig Herzer and Fritz Löhner-Beda. The performance time is about 100 minutes. This was one of Lehár's later works, and has a bittersweet ending which the Viennese loved. The title refers to the supposed Chinese custom of smiling, whatever happens in life. (The leading character, Prince Sou-Chong has a song early in the show, "Immer nur lächeln" ("Always smiling") which describes this.)
The operetta is set in Vienna and China in 1912. In act 1 in Vienna, the heroine Countess Lisa marries a Chinese prince and returns with him to his homeland despite the warnings of her friends and family. In act 2, in Peking, she finds that she is unable to come to terms with his culture, and especially that he must take other wives. He assures her that it is just a formality, but unhappiness is inevitable, and she is locked in the palace. Her love changes to hate. In act 3, Prince Sou-Chong is left alone while his beloved Lisa returns to her homeland. His sister, Princess Mi had also become attached to the Viennese official Gustav, and so the ending is doubly sad. But the prince respects the rule of his custom: always smile.