Following his first reading of the libretto, Franz Lehár himself wrote of the igniting sparks inspiring him to write his Paganini operetta. Since this inspirational thriller’s premiere took place during the night prior to his fifty-third birthday on 30 April 1923, the composer viewed his work as “a birthday present from our dear God.” And divine providence had a second present ready for Lehár: an encounter with Richard Tauber at the Salzburg Festival of 1924. Lehár had found the interpreter corresponding to the ideal always nurtured in his imagination and Tauber the composer capable of rendering audible his special qualities. This live ‘Paganini’ production from Munich in October 2009 features the Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Muenchner Rundfunkorchester, conductor Ulf Schirmer and a distinguished cast of vocal soloists including Kristiane Kaiser, Eva Liebau, Zoran Todorovich and Martin Zysset.