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The present recording is an adaptation with Greek lyrics by Mimis Xanthopoulos of No. 13 Lied, "Ich küss' genau so gut wie Tangolita!", also known as "La bella Tangolita" or simply "Tangolita". The song comes from the second act of the three-act operetta "Ball im Savoy" (Dance at the Savoy), with music by Paul Abraham (see here and here) and a German libretto by Alfred Grünwald and Fritz Löhner-Beda, all three of Jewish origin. In the operetta, the song is performed by the central heroine, Madeleine de Faublas, originally portrayed by Gitta Alpár, together with a male ensemble (for the plot, see here).
The operetta premiered at the Großes Schauspielhaus in Berlin on December 23, 1932. Despite its artistic and commercial success, the increasingly hostile antisemitic climate in Germany, culminating in the National Socialists' rise to power and Adolf Hitler's appointment as Chancellor on January 30, 1933, led to the termination of the performances on April 2, 1933 and forced the Jewish creators and members of the cast to flee Germany (for further information, see here).
Despite these developments in Germany, the operetta premiered in five European capitals during 1933. On September 8 it opened at London's Drury Lane Theatre in an English-language adaptation by Oscar Hammerstein under the title "Ball at the Savoy". The following day, September 9, 1933, it premiered at the New Deutsches Theater in Prague. On December 1 it was staged at the Svenska Teatern (Swedish Theatre) in Helsinki, Finland, under the title "Bal på Savoy", on December 23 at the Magyar Színház in Budapest as "Bál a Savoyban" and on December 25 at the Johann-Strauß-Theater in Vienna. Further productions followed at numerous European theatres, including the Teatro Reinach in Parma on March 27, 1934 and, later that year, the Teatro Reina Victoria in Madrid under the title "El baile del Savoy".
The vocal score of the operetta was published by Doremi Musikverlag A.G., Basel, Switzerland, in cooperation with Alrobi Musikverlag G.m.b.H., Berlin, and Dreiklang-Dreimasken Bühnen- und Musikverlag.
The operetta's popularity is also reflected in its three film adaptations: the Austro-Hungarian production “Ball im Savoy” (1935), followed by the British “Ball im Savoy” (1936) and the German “Ball im Savoy” (1955).
"La bella Tangolita" or "Tangolita", like several other songs from the operetta, achieved international popularity, as evidenced by numerous recordings in the historical discography in different languages, arrangements and countries. For example:
– "La bella Tangolita (Ich küss' genau so gut wie Tangolita!)", Gitta Alpár, Berlin, January 5, 1933 (Parlophon Be 10172 – B. 47344-II), in German.
– "Tangolita", Titi Botez with the Levici Orchestra, Berlin, March 1933 (Odeon Jo 3442 – A 199636 b), in Romanian.
– "Tangolita", Irene Eisinger with Ilja Livschakoff Tanz-Orchester, Berlin, 1933 (Polydor 5143½ BD – 25046-B), in German.
– "Tangolita", Ines Talamo, Milan, 1933 (Columbia CBU 239 – G.Q.U. 72), in Italian.
– "La bella Tangolita", Ulla Billquist with Rünos Dansorkester, Stockholm, December 1, 1933 (Columbia WS 687-1 – DS 836), in Swedish.
– "La bella Tangolita", Lidija Alksne Blūmentāle with the Bellacord Orchestra, Riga, 1934 (Bellacord Electro M 3571 – 3281), in Latvian.
– "Tangolita", Tola Mankiewiczówna with the Columbia Orchestra conducted by Henryk Gold, Warsaw, 1934 (Columbia WJ. 513 – DM. 1828 b), in Polish. For additional Polish recordings, see here.
– "Tangolita", Katalin Karády with Durium Zenekar, Budapest, 1940s (Durium / Patria 5705 – DAC 48.393), in Hungarian.
– "Танголита", Lyudmila Geoli with orchestra conducted by Sergei Gorchakov, Moscow, 1945 [FZZ (GPT numbering) 12655 – 12655 – ГРК 1095/45], in Russian.
In the Greek historical discography, apart from the present recording, the song was also recorded by Ka (Mrs.) Manesi with choir and orchestra conducted by Nikos Chatziapostolou ("Tagkolita", Athens, 1933, Odeon Go 1976 – GA 1690 / A 190505 a), and by Orchestra with Choir (Athens, December 30, 1933, His Master's Voice OT 1479-1 – AO 2102 and Orthophonic S-311-A).
The Greek commercial musical score was published in Athens in 1933 by Stephanos Gaitanos Editions.
In Greece, the operetta was first staged in 1933 by the Olympia Kandioti–Ritsiardis troupe under the title "Horos sto Savoy: (Dance at the Savoy).
The present recording is an adaptation with Greek lyrics by Mimis Xanthopoulos of No. 13 Lied, "Ich küss' genau so gut wie Tangolita!", also known as "La bella Tangolita" or simply "Tangolita". The song comes from the second act of the three-act operetta "Ball im Savoy" (Dance at the Savoy), with music by Paul Abraham (see here and here) and a German libretto by Alfred Grünwald and Fritz Löhner-Beda, all three of Jewish origin. In the operetta, the song is performed by the central heroine, Madeleine de Faublas, originally portrayed by Gitta Alpár, together with a male ensemble (for the plot, see here).
The operetta premiered at the Großes Schauspielhaus in Berlin on December 23, 1932. Despite its artistic and commercial success, the increasingly hostile antisemitic climate in Germany, culminating in the National Socialists' rise to power and Adolf Hitler's appointment as Chancellor on January 30, 1933, led to the termination of the performances on April 2, 1933 and forced the Jewish creators and members of the cast to flee Germany (for further information, see here).
Despite these developments in Germany, the operetta premiered in five European capitals during 1933. On September 8 it opened at London's Drury Lane Theatre in an English-language adaptation by Oscar Hammerstein under the title "Ball at the Savoy". The following day, September 9, 1933, it premiered at the New Deutsches Theater in Prague. On December 1 it was staged at the Svenska Teatern (Swedish Theatre) in Helsinki, Finland, under the title "Bal på Savoy", on December 23 at the Magyar Színház in Budapest as "Bál a Savoyban" and on December 25 at the Johann-Strauß-Theater in Vienna. Further productions followed at numerous European theatres, including the Teatro Reinach in Parma on March 27, 1934 and, later that year, the Teatro Reina Victoria in Madrid under the title "El baile del Savoy".
The vocal score of the operetta was published by Doremi Musikverlag A.G., Basel, Switzerland, in cooperation with Alrobi Musikverlag G.m.b.H., Berlin, and Dreiklang-Dreimasken Bühnen- und Musikverlag.
The operetta's popularity is also reflected in its three film adaptations: the Austro-Hungarian production “Ball im Savoy” (1935), followed by the British “Ball im Savoy” (1936) and the German “Ball im Savoy” (1955).
"La bella Tangolita" or "Tangolita", like several other songs from the operetta, achieved international popularity, as evidenced by numerous recordings in the historical discography in different languages, arrangements and countries. For example:
– "La bella Tangolita (Ich küss' genau so gut wie Tangolita!)", Gitta Alpár, Berlin, January 5, 1933 (Parlophon Be 10172 – B. 47344-II), in German.
– "Tangolita", Titi Botez with the Levici Orchestra, Berlin, March 1933 (Odeon Jo 3442 – A 199636 b), in Romanian.
– "Tangolita", Irene Eisinger with Ilja Livschakoff Tanz-Orchester, Berlin, 1933 (Polydor 5143½ BD – 25046-B), in German.
– "Tangolita", Ines Talamo, Milan, 1933 (Columbia CBU 239 – G.Q.U. 72), in Italian.
– "La bella Tangolita", Ulla Billquist with Rünos Dansorkester, Stockholm, December 1, 1933 (Columbia WS 687-1 – DS 836), in Swedish.
– "La bella Tangolita", Lidija Alksne Blūmentāle with the Bellacord Orchestra, Riga, 1934 (Bellacord Electro M 3571 – 3281), in Latvian.
– "Tangolita", Tola Mankiewiczówna with the Columbia Orchestra conducted by Henryk Gold, Warsaw, 1934 (Columbia WJ. 513 – DM. 1828 b), in Polish. For additional Polish recordings, see here.
– "Tangolita", Katalin Karády with Durium Zenekar, Budapest, 1940s (Durium / Patria 5705 – DAC 48.393), in Hungarian.
– "Танголита", Lyudmila Geoli with orchestra conducted by Sergei Gorchakov, Moscow, 1945 [FZZ (GPT numbering) 12655 – 12655 – ГРК 1095/45], in Russian.
In the Greek historical discography, apart from the present recording, the song was also recorded by Ka (Mrs.) Manesi with choir and orchestra conducted by Nikos Chatziapostolou ("Tagkolita", Athens, 1933, Odeon Go 1976 – GA 1690 / A 190505 a), and by Orchestra with Choir (Athens, December 30, 1933, His Master's Voice OT 1479-1 – AO 2102 and Orthophonic S-311-A).
The Greek commercial musical score was published in Athens in 1933 by Stephanos Gaitanos Editions.
In Greece, the operetta was first staged in 1933 by the Olympia Kandioti–Ritsiardis troupe under the title "Horos sto Savoy: (Dance at the Savoy).
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