Richard Bratby

For the love of operetta

Richard Bratby travels to the heart of this much mocked art form, and finds indelible tunes, telling lyrics and glorious entertainment

It’s the lederhosen that grabs you first. Two gents were walking down the street ahead of us in full Alpine rig: long socks, collarless loden jackets, and hunting hats decorated with what looked like shaving brushes. Among the flowerbeds and fountains that surround the main theatre of the Bad Ischl Lehar Festival a posse of young women crossed our path, all wearing embroidered dirndls and laughing.

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