Tatjana Iwanow

Richard Heuberger (18501914) came from a wealthy, art-loving Graz (Austria-Hungary) family. Shortly before the turn of the century, he tried his luck with operettas. Only his first work, the delicately orchestrated, splendidly hued Opernball (Opera Ball ) of 1898 a beautiful and substantial echo of the Strauss era has managed to maintain its position in the repertoire. In this work, Heuberger tried to create a new operetta style, the comedy operetta. He eschewed spectacular costumes and choruses, sentimentality and drama by picking up where Offenbach had left off in La vie parisienne and Strauss in Die Fledermaus. According to the great Viennese music critic Eduard Hanslick, he succeeded in preserving the purity of the Viennese operetta. The Opernball was a popular, witty piece and Heuberger accordingly avoided the effects of grand opera, both noisy passion and watered-down sentimentality.

Kummerow, a village in North East Germany, around 1900: Mean-spirited miller Düker wants to drive cowherd Krischan out of the village. Being popular with the local children, Krischan can rely on the help of schoolboys Martin and Johannes and their friends, who try to prevent the miller's plans by playing pranks on him.