Ziehrer, Carl Michael: Die Drei Wuensche (CPO Audio CD 2-disc set)

Carl Michael Ziehrer’s career shared many similarities to that of Johann Strauss II. His waltzes, marches and polkas were extremely popular in Vienna and he was one of Strauss’s biggest rivals. His legacy includes nearly 600 dance pieces and marches as well as twenty two operettas.

This new release dedicated to the Austrian master features one of his most enchanting operettas; Die drei Wuensche. Catchy melodies made his music popular but he preferred to assign the instrumentation and arrangement of his operettas to others. It is suggested this operetta was arranged by Alexander Zemlinsky. Die drei Wuensche is a pleasing discovery for CPO and restores a composer whose talent has been overlooked for too long.