Re-Visiting The Villas Of Bad Ischl: Marie-Theres Arnbom’s New Book

Kevin Clarke

Operetta Research Center

9 April, 2017

Anyone who is even remotely interested in the history of German language operetta knows that Bad Ischl – a kind of »Monte Carlo in the Austrian Alps« – was once the center of operetta activities during the summer holiday season. Not because noteworthy shows were performed in Ischl, but because every noteworthy composer, librettist, impresario and performer vacationed in Ischl to negotiate deals for the coming seasons in Berlin and Vienna. For a few summer months the tiny town buzzed with celebrities, and of course the entire yellow press was present too to report on the daily happenings; just like Hollywood reporters do today. Now, Marie-Theres Arnbom has published a 270 page small-scale coffee-table book entitled Die Villen von Bad Ischl: Wenn Häuser Geschichten erzählen. These stories are retold by Miss Arnbom, and they are illustrated by 113 photos that will make the heart of any operetta fan beat faster.