The Land Of Smiles – New Year's Eve Concert

The Land Of Smiles by Franz Lehár combines an East-meets-West cultural clash, which today seems more topically relevant than ever, and a heart-warming, in the end heart-breaking, bitter-sweet love-story. On 31 December, the Semperoper Dresden showed excerpts of this popular operetta on stage, including international soloists such as soprano Jane Archibald and the Staatskapelle Dresden under the baton of Christian Thielemann. This festive concert embodies a contrast between delightful entertainment and great art. It takes the viewer from Vienna, the capital of operetta, to China, known as “the magical land of smiles”.