About the work
Schön ist die Welt (How Fair Is the World) is an operetta in three acts by Franz Lehár with a libretto by Ludwig Herzer and Fritz Löhner-Beda. It premiered on 3 December 1930 at the Metropol-Theater in Berlin, conducted by the composer with Richard Tauber and Gitta Alpár in the leading roles.
Plot
A crown prince and a princess, ordered by their fathers to marry, first meet incognito at a hotel in the Tyrol. On a shared mountain hike they fall in love without knowing each other's true identity, and only admit their feelings after weathering a storm together.
Cultural significance
The work reworks Lehár's operetta Endlich allein, which had premiered in 1914. Critics praised the ambitious score, which draws on tango and slow-fox rhythms, though audiences responded more coolly.