13.04.2022 – 12:43

Liechtensteinisches Landesmuseum

Operettas in Liechtenstein
For decades the Vaduz und Balzers operetta societies have played a key role in Liechtenstein's cultural scene

Vaduz (ots)

Originally founded by the male choral societies in the villages of Balzers und Vaduz, this tradition is continued today by separate operetta societies. A new exhibition at the Liechtenstein NationalMuseum aims to showcase this tradition and take a look behind the scenes. Last year the Vaduz Operetta Society celebrated its 80th anniversary and the Balzers Operetta Society its 75th. To mark these milestones, both operetta societies were delighted to release commemorative publications in which they looked back with deserved pride on the past decades. These publications conjured up memories of many beautiful moments centred around the joy of singing together - an activity that serves as a fountain of youth and a source of great pleasure.

The idea behind the exhibition

The idea for this special exhibition came from Karlheinz Heeb, President of the Friends Society of Vaduz Theatre. Together with Rita Vogt, he produced the commemorative publication "Vaduz Operetta Society 1940 - 2020". He thought it would be a shame if the many photos and documents gathered for the book were not also used for an exhibition. The Balzers Operetta Society immediately agreed to join the project and made available the documents, props, etc. in its various storerooms. It didn't take much work to convince the Liechtenstein NationalMuseum of the idea - museum director Rainer Vollkommer was quick to offer his support and agreed to host the exhibition at the Liechtenstein NationalMuseum.

Operetta - a fleeting art form

Museums generally exhibit objects which are to be preserved and protected over the long term due to their lasting value. Operetta, on the other hand, is a fleeting art form - it exists in the moment and lives from the immediate experience. Operettas strive to generate emotions and provide good entertainment. Capturing this full range of feelings on film is an impossible task. Operettas are light, transient fare. One particular element of this exhibition is that the sets, props, costumes, etc. are made to last not forever but instead for the duration of the production. When the curtain falls for the last time, most of them are destroyed - there simply isn't enough space in the storerooms to keep all the sets and props. Yet, some things do indeed end up being squirreled away - "maybe we can use it again sometime in the future".

What's on show at the exhibition

Following the decision to hold a special exhibition on the operetta societies in Vaduz and Balzers, the organisers took a look in the various storerooms to see which props were still left over from previous years. The result was an incredibly eclectic collection of weird and wonderful objects ranging from a bird's cage to a treasure chest to a crown - and even a Kalashnikov rifle. The search for video recordings of operetta performances also proved relatively successful - all in all, footage was found of 31 productions from down the years. German Foser from the Liechtenstein NationalMuseum digitised this footage and edited together the best songs. The result - an important record of Liechtenstein's cultural scene - can be seen in the exhibition. The show also contains many photos as well as a number of paper documents. The sets, on the other hand, are in most cases too large and cumbersome to be used in an exhibition. The exhibition opening will be accompanied by the publication of a book with many large-format photos giving an impression of the colourful splendour of the operetta productions. As well as tracing the history of the two operetta societies, this book also analyses which operettas go down well with audiences and why societies must put on works likely to be well-received. Paul Vogt wrote the text. Mathias Marxer and Gregor Schneider carried out the graphic design of the exhibition and the brochure.

Keeping memories alive

The exhibition is aimed primarily at operetta enthusiasts. The more you know about this musical genre, the more you will enjoy visiting the exhibition. As with the operettas themselves, please don't take the exhibition too seriously - instead, use it as a fun opportunity to rediscover people, props and productions from years gone by as well as to learn a few new things about operetta in Liechtenstein.

The exhibition runs from Thursday 14 April 2022 until Wednesday 8 June 2022.

Contact:

Liechtenstein NationalMuseum
Prof. Dr. Rainer Vollkommer
Director
Städtle 43, Postfach 1216
9490 Vaduz
Principality Liechtenstein
P +423 239 68 20
info@landesmuseum.li