Racy hits & elegant waltzes: Das Schwarzwaldmädel, first performed in 1917, shows a world that is still intact – or almost intact. Bärbele, the Black Forest girl of the title, is ignored by the villagers because of where she comes from. Only the intervention of two young men from the city, disguised as itinerant musicians, forges a peaceful coexistence between tradition and the modern age.

And this can be heard in the music as well: the score combines catchy hit tunes with elegant Viennese waltzes and elements of the singspiel. The work’s huge success continued after the Second World War – albeit now as a popular sentimental film.

This recording however, conduced with verve and knowledge of the genre by Willy Mattes, is based entirely on Jessel’s original operetta.