Ljubomir Puškarić

The most brilliant of Austrian operettas takes us to the outskirts of romantic Old Vienna. It’s New Year Eve and we are in the company of Rosalinde, who is determined to teach her philandering husband Eisenstein a lesson, even while she is being pursued by her former beau, the operatic tenor Alfred. At the centre of the action is the extremely wealthy, eternally bored Prince Orlofsky, whose lavish masked ball brings everything to a most delicious boil. But what if the whole plot has been a cunning plan masterminded by someone just to get back at Eisenstein? Die Fledermaus, Johann Strauss II’s comic operetta in three acts which premiered in 1874, has become a synonym of the operetta genre.

Suliman the Magnificent and his Ottoman army are on the march to Vienna. Only one fortified town lies in their way, but its Croatian commander and small garrison of men are determined to stand their ground. Ivan Zajc’s patriotic opera retells the story of Nikola Šubić Zrinjski’s daring leadership and heroic sacrifice during the real life Siege of Siget. Packed with powerful music – including the rousing male chorus 'U boj, u boj!' – it has held a treasured place in the Croatian repertoire ever since its wildly successful premiere in 1876.