Austrian town Bad Ischl to celebrate Lehár’s 150th birth anniversary
The 150th birth anniversary of Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár (Ferenc Lehár), the “king of operettas”, will be celebrated in Bad Ischl with special programmes, Austrian news agency APA said on Monday.
A wreath-laying ceremony will be held without any public attendance because of the coronavirus epidemic on April 30, Lehár’s birthday, at his grave in Bad Ischl and later in the local Kurpark.
Organisers of the Lehár Festival has prepared a special TV programme which will show so far unreleased footage about Lehar as honorary citizen of the town. It will also present interviews with famous personalities in operetta.
On July 11, a Lehár Festival is planned to begin in the town with the Austrian national post releasing a special stamp.
Lehár was born in Komárom in 1870 and he died in Bad Ischl in 1948. His most famous operettas include the Merry Widow (A víg özvegy/Die lustige Witwe) and The Land of Smiles (A mosoly országa/Das Land des Lächelns).
