Jetzt geht's los - MVSR2529 | Musica

It is probably not generally known that Franz Lehár, the most prominent representative of the so-called “era of the silver operetta”, was an Austro-Hungarian military bandmaster at the beginning of his musical career. Following period practice, he served with several regiments and in different positions. His early march “Jetzt geht’s los” that could be loosely translated by “Here We Go” was composed in the Hungarian garrison of Losoncz, which today is the Slovak city of Lucenec. Last but not least, it was due to the intercession of his father that he became the regimental bandmaster of Infantry Regiment No 25 as successor to Karl Wetaschek. This, in fact, was his first such appointment. Regarding this period of his life, Lehár later wrote: “The band had no large repertory and consequently was not blocked by rehearsals too much. The band therefore stood by for me anytime, and I was in a position to experiment with it to my heart’s content.” “Jetzt geht’s los!” is typical of the highly esteemed popular march of that time which we also come across with Carl Michael Ziehrer. The distinctive musical traits of Lehár, however, are already unmistakable in that piece.