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The Innkeeper, the Emperor and the Authentic Life Vienna
Volksoper
06/01/2025 - & December 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 2024, January 11, 19, 21, 24, 30, February 4, June 6, 25, 29*, 2025, March 1, 5, 7, 10, 20, April 11, 15, 19, 23, 2026
Ralph Benatzky: Im weissen Rössl
Annette Dasch*/Ursula Pfitzner (Josepha Vogelhuber), Jakob Semotan (Leopold Brandmeyer), Götz Schubert (Wilhelm Gieseke), David Kerber (Dr. Otto Siedler), Nadja Mchantaf (Ottilie), Oliver Liebl (Sigismund Sülzheimer), Harald Schmidt (Prof. Dr. Hinzelmann), Julia Edtmeier*/Marina Petkov (Klärchen), Rober Palfrader (Kaiser Franz Joseph), Christoph Stocker (Piccolo), Jennifer Pöll (Kathi)
Chor der Volksoper Wien, Orchester der Volksoper Wien, Roger Díaz-Cajamarca (conductor & chorus master)
Jan Philipp Gloger (stage director), Christof Hetzer (sets), Justina Klymczyk (costumes), Rebekah Wild (puppet design & puppeteer coach), Alex Brok (lighting), Florian Hurler (choreography), Magdalena Hois Bauer (dramaturgy)
A. Dasch, O. Liebl (© Barbara Pálffy/Volksoper Wien)
Premiered in 1930, Im weissen Rössl is an operetta about Leopold, a head waiter, in love with his boss, Josepha Vogelhuber, owner of the Weisses Rössl inn on Lake Wolfgang, in the picturesque Upper Austrian region of Salzkammergut. However, she’s decidedly indifferent to poor Leopold, with her eyes already set on Dr. Otto Siedler, Berlin lawyer and longtime guest at her establishment. Berlin industrialist Wilhelm Giesecke, with daughter Ottilie in tow, arrives at the inn, unhappy to find Siedler, who represents Sülzheimer, his opponent in a patent lawsuit. The latter sends his handsome son Sigismund to woo Giesecke’s daughter to assuage matters. A stingy Swabian traveller and guidebook writer, with daughter Klärchen, are also guests. Finally, a television actor, known for his portrayal of Austro-Hungarian Kaiser Franz‑Joseph, arrives at the inn. This anomalous mix leads to inevitable situational comedy, replete with beautiful melodies, parodies of Upper Austrian, Swabian and Prussian (Berlin) accents, and the attendant love affairs and pairings that typify this kind of light romp.
For an operetta written barely a century ago, Im weissen Rössl has enjoyed notable success, and has been performed thousands of times, not just in German-speaking countries, but (in translation) the world over. It’s also been a huge success in French-speaking countries, as L’Auberge du Cheval-Blanc (1932). A 1960 film adaptation is familiar to most German speakers. Other than the congenial characters and the modernity of the subject, the reason for its success can be attributed to its winning blend of Viennese waltzes, Upper Austrian folklore and cabaret.
Singers of operetta must be above all excellent actors, and that was certainly the case for this delightful production. The one genuine opera star in the cast was German lyric soprano Annette Dasch, known for her Mozart. Admired a few years ago as Rosalinde in Rolando Villazon’s highly original production of Die Fledermaus in Berlin, Dasch is a charismatic performer and an ideal choice as Josepha. A Berliner herself, playing a Prussian passing herself off as a local in Upper Austria was amusing, complete doubly-assumed fake accents. Her lush lyric soprano was a luxury in this work requiring modest vocal means.
Another character with more to sing than most is Jakob Semotan, as the lovelorn head waiter Leopold. More a Broadway than an operatic voice, Semotan had ample stage presence. Not exactly a heartthrob, but a portly mature man, he made the character more real and touching. Though he sang Leopold’s signature tune, "Es muss was Wunderbares sein", as a crooner, he sounded wonderful, and his character was credible. Oliver Liebl, as rich boy Sigismund Sülzheimer, son of the litigating Austrian industrialist, had a pleasant voice and much energy. His comic self-adulatory song, "Was kann der Sigismund dafür, dass er so schön ist", could be a present day ode to celebrities and billionaires. The remaining roles required mostly acting, with limited singing.
Colombian conductor Roger Díaz-Cajamarca seemed to have an affinity for this very Austro-German genre. He brought out the lyricism in the operetta’s pretty melodies, avoiding Schmaltz, a common pitfall in operetta. Acting as both conductor and chorus master here, Díaz‑Cajamarca was chorus master for Wiener Volksoper’s successful production of Die Zauberflöte last season. Heard recently in his native country at the opening gala of the “Bogotá es America” festival, Díaz‑Cajamarca proved himself versatile.
Director Jan Philipp Gloger’s take on Im weissen Rössl went beyond the original parody on tourism and differences between Germans and Austrians. He examined the notion that tourism sells a certain dream we know is untrue but need to believe. Josepha, the central character and owner of the Weisses Rössl in the upper Austrian region, is actually a Berliner who had married the inn’s proprietor shortly before his passing. She’s since adopted a local accent (or thinks she has), worn local folkloric dresses and unsuccessfully attempted cooking local delights. She feels obliged to keep up an image that she thinks the tourists expect.
A television actor appears as the long‑dead “Kaiser” (Austro-Hungarian Emperor), with other guests addressing him so, showing deference. Josepha asks her favourite guest, the lawyer Siedler on whom she’s set her sights, to clear the inn’s best room for the Kaiser’s benefit. Everyone knows he’s just an actor, but they nonetheless buy into the fantasy. Ironically, it’s this “Kaiser,” an impostor himself, who advises Josepha to stop pretending, stop vying for Siedler’s affections (he’s set his eyes on another), stop her fake Austrian accent, marry Leopold, sell the inn, and live an “authentic” life. The more serious question is why do we need to invent fantasies? Is reality that intolerable? It’s a profound thought, and one that we wouldn’t expect from an operetta.
Ossama el Naggar
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