About the work
The Land of Smiles (Das Land des Lächelns) is an operetta (romantic operetta) in three acts by Franz Lehár, premiered in its definitive version in Berlin in 1929. The work arose from a revision of the earlier operetta Die gelbe Jacke and became a worldwide success through the tenor Richard Tauber.
Plot
The Viennese count's daughter Lisa falls in love with the Chinese prince Sou-Chong and follows him to his distant homeland. But in China the cultures collide: Lisa suffers under the foreign customs, the etiquette of the court, and the expectation that Sou-Chong, by old tradition, should marry further wives. The initial love breaks on the incompatibility of the two worlds. Despite deep affection, both recognise that their union has no future—Sou-Chong finally lets Lisa go with a painful smile.
Cultural significance
The Land of Smiles marks the serious, melancholy late phase of operetta, breaking with the traditionally cheerful genre and ending tragically. The tenor aria Dein ist mein ganzes Herz (You Are My Heart's Delight) became one of the most famous pieces in all operetta literature. Although the work is also viewed critically today for its exoticist depiction of China, it remains one of the most frequently performed operettas and a high point of Lehár's late output.