Best of Lehár - Das Land des Lächelns (Land of Smiles)

Franz Lehár developed the operetta far beyond the waltz-laden entertainment that was its origin; he orientated himself far more towards the opera. He took as his role model Puccini, as is evident in his Land des Lächelns (Land of Smiles), a bittersweet love story set in far-away Japan, and including the operetta hit "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz" ("You are my heart's delight"). Lehár's eponymous Tsarevich too is full of passion and melancholy, bursting with Russian charm. In Friederike Lehár tells the famous love story of the young Goethe and Friederike Brion with tender simplicity.