FRANZ SCHREKER (1878-1934)
Der Ferne Klang (1909) opera in 3 acts
Grete Graumann --- Elena Grigorescu (sop)
Fritz --- Thomas Harper (ten)
Dr Vigelius --- Andreas Haller (bass)
A Ham Actor --- Horst Fiehl (bar)
Old Graumann --- Rudiger Bunse (bass)
Old Graumann's wife --- Erica Pilari (mezzo)
Landlord --- Paul Friess (bass)
Woman's Voice --- Marisa Altmann-Althausen (mezzo)
Count --- Werner Hahn (bar)
Baron --- Peter Nikolaus Kante (bass)
Chevalier --- Reinhard Leisenheimer (ten)
and others
Chorus of Hagen Municpal
Orchestra
Hagen PO/Michael Halasz
rec 2-7 Jan 1989
NAXOS OPERA CLASSICS 8.660074-75 CD1 63.48 + CD2 68.46
[132.28]
Crotchet
£9.00
It has taken quite some time for Schreker's star to rise above the horizon
below which it set on his death in 1934 (a fateful year which also saw the
death of Holst, Elgar and Delius).
In the early 1980s interest began to rekindle. Classical Excellence issued
some Austrian radio tapes of orchestral music and his operas began to attract
attention.
Schreker (originally Schrecker) was of Austrian parentage of Jewish ancestry
though born Monegasque. He studied with Robert Fuchs. His fame as a composer
is linked with the theatre: Die Flammen (1902), Der Geburtstag
der Infantin (1908), Das Spielwerk die Prinzessin, Die Gezeichneten
(1918), Der Schatzgraber (1920), Irrelohe (1924),
Christophorus (1927?), Der Singende Teufel (1928) and Der
Schmied von Gent (1932).
Schreker rose to head the famous Berlin Hochschule between 1920 and 1932.
He was unacceptable to the NSDAP* who manipulated his dismissal
from the school in1933. He died a year later aged 56. His pupils included
Berg, Webern, Krenek and Haba.
Schreker as a name is more familiar than his music. Often grouped with Zemlinsky
the impression is given that he was a dodecaphonist. Nothing could be further
from the truth as this set demonstrates.
In fact this major opera has more in common with Korngold's Die Kathrin,
Othmar Schoeck's Massimilla Doni, Strauss's Rosenkavalier and
Puccini's Turandot than with the strangulated harmonies of the later
Schoenberg. He is intensely, not to say saturatedly, romantic. He uses his
large orchestra with great discretion and is more prone to pointilliste effect
(birdsong at track 11 CD2) than to obvious eruptive power although he is
by no means an abstainer from voluptuous Puccinian expressiveness. Mahler
is also a presence in his music. There are some glorious arias here. In track
3 (CD2) try Fritz's 'Schuldbeladen und reuig' and hear what I mean. There
are so many moments of emotional eminence. If you are at all appreciative
of the operatic ensemble then play track 17 of CD1.
The opera's erotic content was at first an obstacle to its completion but
Strauss's Salome (produced in 1905) soon swept away any reservations. The
story is involved but reduced to essentials: two lovers (Grete and Fritz)
separate as Fritz, a romantic, insists on leaving to seek out a far distant
enchanted music (the Ferne Klang of the title) that haunts him and draws
him like a moth. Grete settles for other partners as Fritz disappears on
his life's mission.Grete sinks into degradation. Fritz returns ten years
later but is horrified to find out what has happened to Grete and leaves
again. Five years later he returns and the lovers are reconciled with Fritz
dying in Grete's forgiving arms and at last hearing the music he has sought
so long. I have compressed the story but essentially that is the plot. The
music has a great deal to live up to with that sort of magical idealism inferred
so directly. In general Schreker is close to or meets and exceeds the equal
of the challenge.
Regrettable that the two discs had to go into one of those double thickness
cases but this was probably unavoidable if a fairly substantial leaflet is
to be included. Here the booklet gives the full sung libretto in the original
German only. There is a trilingual synopsis and notes. The tracking (generous)
is linked to the German-only libretto.
Strongly recommended.
Rob Barnett
*Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei
