Ironically, when Hugo von Hofmannsthal heard Lehár’s Libellentanz, he said how beautiful it would have been if Lehár had composed the music to his Rosenkavalier libretto. Footnote 4 There were composers who moved in the opposite direction, introducing an operetta-like character into their operas, as did Puccini in La Rondine and Richard Strauss in Der Rosenkavalier.
Findon commented on the ambitious character of the latter, its being almost through-composed, with little dialogue until the third act. Footnote 3 Kálmán’s most operatic score was Die Bajadere ( The Yankee Princess on Broadway), and Gilbert’s most operatic score was Die Frau im Hermelin ( The Lady of the Rose in London, The Lady in Ermine in New York). Findon remarked on the operatic qualities of Gipsy Love, noting that it demanded skilled singers, such as Robert Michaelis and Sári Petráss. Lehár’s most operatic scores were Zigeunerliebe ( Gipsy Love in London, Gypsy Love in New York) and Giuditta.
The music of operetta occupied a number of positions between popular musical theatre and opera. Characteristics of Musical Style in Operetta
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