Welcome to the Albert Lortzing Website

Of course this is the first line of the "Kantate-Probe", the famous choral rehearsal-scene from "Zar und Zimmermann", and in the opera it is meant to pay tribute to the czar of Russia (during his stay in the Dutch town Zaandam). But next Sunday, January 30th, it will be a tribute to Albert Lortzing himself; the great but often under-estimated composer of the German Spieloper, when the Erzgebirgische Philharmonie, conducted by Dieter Klug will perform a selection of works by the master.

Albert Lortzing ist einer der bedeutendsten sächsischen Komponisten - seine Opern ZAR UND ZIMMERMANN, der WILDSCHÜTZ, UNDINE und der WAFFENSCHMIED sind zu Mustern der deutschen heiteren Oper geworden. Das concert special am 30.1. in Annaberg-Buchholz lädt ein, die Lebenswege dieses Theatermannes aus dem Biedermeier mitzugehen.

One of the works that will be performed is the "Warme weeche Bretzel"-valse, probably for the first time since 1838.

The Lippische Landesbibliothek Detmold, house of the Lortzing-Archive, has acquired a new autograph of Lortzing, although it actually is only a receipt with Lortzing signature. You can read the original article here:

(...)es handelt sich um eine Quittung der Schlesinger'schen Buch- und Musikalienhandlung in Berlin vom 10. Juli 1850. Lortzing quittiert den Verkauf der Lieder Nr. 4 und 6 aus der Schauspielmusik zu "Eine Berliner Grisette" (LoWV 93). Der Text der Quittung stammt aus fremder Hand, Lortzing unterschrieb und datierte nur selbst. Die zwei verschiedenen Tintenfarben sind auch gut zu erkennen.

Lortzing never lived in Frankfurt, but, at the end of his life, when Lortzing was completely impoverished, "Die Opernprobe" - his last Spieloper - was performed at the Stadttheater in Frankfurt, Jan 20th while Lortzing was dying in his bed.
The plaque is in the Lortzingstraße.

©Willem Jager

An interesting issue of WUZ, a magazine devoted to Jean Paul - and especially his schoolmaster Wuz, who - like the Duke of Gloucester - preferred thin books over "damned fat square books".
So, WUZ apparently always issues small, thin booklets with only a few pages. I only got to know the magazine when the publisher, Armin Elhardt, offered me to send me volume 19, devoted to Albert Lortzing and written by Lortzing's greatest fan - not to say zealot: Jürgen Lodemann, as a present. A great gift - thank you mr. Elhardt!.
I know mr. Lodemann personally, I've met him, I've heard him lecturing on Lortzing in Detmold (2001) and Leipzig (2009),and I've read his "damned fat" book on Lortzing: "Gaukler und Musiker" (2000). And he gave me permission to publish his great essay "Nun kommt der Freiheit grosser Morgen" (on Lortzing's opera "Regina") on this website.
Now this small book is another example of Lodemann's persuasive style: in nineteen short statements mr. Lodemann explains why Lortzing always has been important to opera culture and still should be important to us. Beautifully illustrated with drawings by Peter Schmidt, that make this issue a must-have for the Lortzing connoisseur and the collector of Lorzingiana. But also the superficially interested reader will pick it up to read and re-read it again and again, or just to browse through the pages.
WUZ is published in a limited edition, which is a shame. The only obstacle I can think of for you, my dear reader, is the language: WUZ is entirally written in German. But, thinking about it, when you're interested in German culture you can't have a serious problem with the language.

I am currently in the process of rebuilding my Albert Lortzing Website. Since the Albert Lortzingwebsite is loaded with information, it will take some time to transfer everything from the old-fashioned html version to this one, that, hopefully, will make it easier for me to keep the website up-to-date. The old website will be archived here, at least during the process of the make-over.