It is said about the Hungarian mentality that they dance and cry at the same time and celebrate when they have problems. Of course, this is a clich�, but hits the nail on the head in the context of the fin de si�cle and the operetta itself. Kalman confronts Viennese Classicism with the rather rustic czardas. This way, he gave new inspiration to the genre. Moreover, the Hungarian soul is evoked by sentimentality and melancholic dreaminess. Michael Hofstetter; who brings the almost forgotten operetta to a new, livelier life, acts as the trustee of these magnificent qualities.