Inane and cutesy, A Night in Venice isn't a must-listen
Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 01/27/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Like many other listeners, I wanted to be as delighted with other Strauss operettas as I was with Fledermaus, only to find that the Gypsy Baron delivers about half the inspiration and A Night in Venice about a quarter. The story and characterization are inane, and Strauss's desperation to please ends up being cutesy -- the music tries to be lilting and sparkling but without much basis.
There's nothing that Schwarzkopf and company can do to resuce the banalaity they'e stuck with, but they try their best, which is saying a lot. I've never bothered to seek out a better version. This one, in decent 1954, has held the field for ove fifty years and is likely to keep on doing so."