Hungarian composer Paul Abrahám enjoyed huge success across Europe with his ‘jazz operettas’, not least in Weimar Berlin where his works scored for an orchestra augmented by a jazz band caused a sensation. Ball im Savoy (‘Ball at the Savoy’) has a plot reminiscent of Die Fledermaus and its variety of influences, some European and some reflective of contemporary American popular song, won the kind of acclaim only equalled by Franz Lehár. The premiere, which took place in December 1932, was for some the last major cultural event of Weimar Germany.

Folks Operetta’s American premiere of Ball at the Savoy was part of the Reclaimed Voices Series project. The Chicago Reader stated: ‘This long-overdue American premiere by Chicago Folks Operetta reveals Ball at the Savoy as a musically inventive work that fuses lyrical waltzes with bouncy jazz, sensuous tangos, and even a few hints of Hindemith-style dissonant counterpoint.’

Cast:
- Madeleine de Faublas: Alison Kelly (soprano)
- Aristide de Faublas: Gerald Frantzen (tenor)
- Musatafa Bey: Ryan Trent Oldham (baritone)
- Daisy Parker: Cynthia Fortune Gruel (soprano)
- Bébé: Rose Guccione (soprano)
- Tangolita: Bridget Skaggs (mezzo-soprano)
- Célestin: Matt Dyson (baritone)

World-premiere recording of English language version