Marjan’s Musical Soirées

Marta’s brilliant  young life in Budapest.  Her musical   relationship with the King of Jazz Operetta Paul Abraham . Marta sings three songs by this gifted composer and stories from Marta’s own account.

In Act 1 of this Trilogy – presenter Jane Knox, chronicles Marta’s unique childhood in Hungary and the many famous artists, composers, playwrights of stage and screen who recognized her unique talent. These included Paul Abraham (1892-1960), Bela Zerkovitz (1882-1948) Joseph Szulc (1875-1956).  Marta’s talent would ultimately lead her to Vienna and beyond where she became a major star of stage, film, opera and operetta.  Our special thanks to Andras Szentpeteri.

This podcast, created and hosted by Jane Knox-Kiepura, describes the close artistic relationship between Franz Lehar and Marta Eggerth in films and operettas.  Franz Lehar has often been referred to as the King of Operetta famous for The Merry Widow among others.  Conversely, Marta Eggerth was often known as the Queen of Operetta.  Marta would make six films involving Lehar’s music with many songs composed especially for her.

Jan Kiepura singing Polish repertoire. Producers Marjan Kiepura and Jane Knox.

On May 20, 2022 pianist Marjan Kiepura and his wife Jane Knox-Kiepura, hosted a program at the Exilarte Center in Vienna at the University of Music and Performing Artswhere the exhibit was held. The Program commemorated the careers of Marjan’s parents, the renowned singers Marta Eggerth and Jan Kiepura, who both rose to international stardom in Vienna.       

 The Exilarte Center was co-founded by Dr. Michael Haas and Professor Dr. Gerold Gruber to honor those composers and artists who were victimized by the rise of Nazism in Europe during the 1930s. This podcast is a reminiscence of that evening and of the music and narrative presented.  

The Polish tenor Jan Kiepura (1902 – 1966) was one of the most famous opera singers of the last century and remembered throughout the world .  Whereas he was a European movie star from some 19 films; his fame started on the opera stages of Europe and North and South America.  After his debut at the Lvov Opera in 1924, he sang major tenor roles throughout the 1930s and 1940s in operas as Tosca, La Boheme, Carmen, Manon, Rigoletto and Turandot. He also created tenor roles in new contemporary operas at the time.  These included Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Das Wunder der Heliane and Felice Lattuada’s opera Le Preziose Ridicole.  Jan Kiepura sang at La Scala in Milano, Vienna State Opera, Paris Operas, Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Opera, Colon Opera in Buenos Aires and innumerable concerts.
 
With his wife, the Hungarian soprano and film star Marta Eggerth (1912 – 2013), they appeared in movies together and then entered the operetta genre with successful tours of Lehar’s The Merry Widow among other operettas. Jan Kiepura crossed several genre – opera, films and operetta.  His career was unique in that he was a major opera singer and at the same time a movie star.

Marta Eggerth sings live “Sárbogárd Dombovar” composer Robert Stolz, lyrics Istvan Mihaly. Piano Marjan Kiepura with special musical arrangement
Wiesbaden May Festival 1990.  Host Jane Knox

Marta Eggerth sings live from Die Geschiedene Frau–Kind, Du Kannst Tanzen.  Marjan Kiepura is the pianist; from a concert at the Wiesbaden Opera in May 1990.  Podcast and discussion is hosted by Jane Knox.