Joseph Beer

Polish Wedding is a work by the Polish-Jewish composer Józef Beer. It premiered on 3 April 1937 in Zurich and was enthusiastically received by the audience. The success of Polish Wedding is reflected in the number of performances following its premiere – the operetta was staged at forty of the most important opera houses and translated into eight languages.

The first critical responses are also noteworthy. According to one journalist from the Zürcher Tagesanzeiger in 1937, “(…) this is music that is not only pleasant, but seeps into the bloodstream, captivating the listener with its wealth of ideas, vivid illustrative power, and above all its excellent dance rhythms (…).” Despite such favorable reviews, after the Nazis seized power in Austria, Polish Wedding was placed on the list of banned works, and the composer, who was then living in Austria, was forced into exile.

The work presents a love story and a wedding intrigue in a remarkably original musical setting. Beer combines elements of folklore, jazz, and Romantic song, giving them a distinctive and eclectically coherent color. After years of oblivion, Polish Wedding is gradually returning to European opera stages, reclaiming its rightful place in the history of twentieth-century music.