The Orlov

With Granichstaedten’s Orlov, there is a gem to be discovered in two respects: the 1925 production, which at the time was genuine competition even for The Merry Widow, and the title character, who is actually a massive diamond. The legendary gem is saved by the Russian Grand Duke Alexander as he flees the 1917 Revolution into exile in North America. Under the name Alex Doroschinsky, he works there as a mechanic in a car factory.
When he falls in love with his compatriot, the famous dancer Nadja Nadjakowska, he wants to cash in on the Orlov and asks his factory director for help. But the director exploits the situation for his own gain - he is also in love with Nadja and, without further ado, gives her the diamond. Before a happy ending can finally be reached, a whole series of misunderstandings and wounded egos must be resolved.


With the charming contrast between the nostalgically rich, melting “à la russe” duets of Alex and Nadja and the jazz-inspired musical tone of their American exile home, Granichstaedten achieved a worldwide success - he was the first, even before Abraham and Kálmán, to combine Viennese operetta with foxtrot, shimmy, and blues - and the balalaika with the saxophone. Like his character Alex, the composer was forced to flee after the annexation of Austria; he died in exile in New York in 1944. His music, however, sparkles with life and is finally finding its way back to the stage.