Mannes Opera Presents a Korngold Premiere
A Silent Serenade Given its Delicious US Debut
By: Susan Hall - Mar 14, 2026
Mannes Opera mounted the United States premiere of Erich Korngold’s The Silent Serenade at the Gerald Lynch Theater in New York. Korngold set the standard for film scoring during his decade in Hollywood, and the insights he gained while scoring Robin Hood are evident in this charming blend of Johann Strauss and Jack Warner.
The Mannes Opera division of the conservatory is known for its excellent, adventurous work, and The Silent Serenade feels like a crowning achievement. Emma Griffin directs with a keen ear for the brisk, propulsive force of the score. Street scenes are delightfully cluttered, gossip passing across the stage from character to character. Romantic interludes—set in a bedroom reminiscent of Donna Anna’s—give the waltz a home. It’s hard to think of an operatic detail that isn’t celebrated in this cornucopia.
Talent abounds at the conservatory, which includes a thriving drama school. A special call-out goes to Dasha Tereschenko as the lead, Sylvia, whose spunky acting is capped by the beautiful, lush lines of the romantic songs she sings.
Enes Pektas, Thomasluke Florez-Mansi, and Dimi Mironov also stand out.
Amy Rubin’s set looks like an accordion, with hidden spaces and mirrors that capture the antic goings-on. Terese Wadden’s costumes are characters in their own right.
Griffin’s production enchants throughout, underlined by the delightful score rising from the pit. Conductor Cris Frisco keeps just a perfect pace, shaping those delicious rubatos at the ends of phrases before brisk punctuations snap them closed.
It’s easy to see these characters as people from our own time. The ending is happy: a tyrant is overthrown.
And the silent serenade? No serenade at all, but a kiss. And there are plenty of those to be seen—if not heard.
Streaming on-demand March 23 at 4 pm ET. Details will follow.