This set is dedicated
Karl Liebl (1915-2007), who died while
it was reaching the shops. In view of
the fact that it is practically a semi-private
act of love, no doubt with limited resources,
we will not be too severe about the
skimpy presentation. Just a track-list,
without timings, cast details and a
5-line bio of Liebl. From 1951 he had
a considerable career as a heldentenor,
embracing the Metropolitan and the Vienna
State Opera but not Bayreuth. We also
learn that "from 1967 to the middle
of the nineties he teached singing in
Wiesbaden". English as she is wrote
… Geography as she is wrote, too, for
the original phrase was "Von 1967
bis Mitte der Neunziger unterrichtete
er in Stuttgart".
I am afraid the word
"abridged" above has been
added by me. Those interested in Weber
rather than Liebl will get quite a shock.
With Act timings of 28:39, 29:16, 29:34
the obvious inference is that the conductor
was briefed to fit it into three 30-minute
broadcasting slots. Act 1 loses Oberon’s
aria and Rezia’s "Vision"
and the following ensemble begins from
Hüon’s entrance. Act 2 loses the
Ballet Music and Fatime’s aria. Act
3 loses – devastatingly in view of the
purpose of this issue – Hüon’s
aria. Aside from this there are all
sorts of snips. Just as an example of
the type of surgery applied, Puck’s
solo plunges straight in without the
orchestral introduction and the storm
music is shortened. Irritatingly, Kray
gives the Act III March complete, repeats
and all. Without stage action it’s not
the most inspired part of the score
and might have been sacrificed in favour
of at least a lick and a promise of
Hüon’s aria. The actual words sung
are at times quite different from those
in the Peters Edition I was following.
However, since the original text was
in English I suppose there is no need
to stick rigidly to one particular translation
if a better one can be found or made.
There is no dialogue.
Still, I daresay it’s
the only opportunity we have to hear
Karl Liebl sing this music, and for
the most part he does so beautifully.
He has an easy production with an attractive,
sweet timbre. There is just a suspicion
of slightly pinched tone on loud high
notes. But Weber cruelly demands, in
the first aria, Mozartian agility combined
with romantic weight. An ideal performance
would be almost impossible and this
gets pretty near. In his Act II Prayer
he provides exquisite shading and nuance.
In this he shows up
the shortcomings of the rest of the
cast. Only Paula Bauer, as Puck, is
actually unattractive, but nuance and
expression does not go beyond generalized
musicality. Helene Bader’s somewhat
soubrettish tones were not encouraging
at first but she actually manages "Ozean!
Du Ungeheuer" – "Ocean, though
mighty monster" to most of us –
pretty effectively and responds warmly
to her Act III Cavatina. But without
the sort of refined artistry we heard
from Liebl in Hüon’s Prayer.
Hans-Müller Kray
is lively or expressive as required
and the recording, which seems to derive
from acetates, is reasonable for the
date though with distortion at climaxes.
The discography of
"Oberon" only really began
in the 1970s with the celebrated DG
version under Kubelík and a notable
cast including Birgit Nilsson. Only
Weberians seeking documentation of the
earlier history of this once maligned
and ill-treated work need bother with
the Cabaletta issue. Unless, of course,
they are also Liebl fans too.
I made my comparisons
with another performance from the 1950s,
recorded in Milan in 1957 under Vittorio
Gui. This seems to be available from
Myto, though there seems some confusion
as to whether theirs is not a performance
from Trieste given the previous year
with an identical cast. What I have
is an off-the-air tape so I can’t speak
for the quality of the Myto issue. The
performance would be worth an "official"
release, for Anita Cerquetti, Mirto
Picchi, Petre Monteanu, Miriam Pirazzini
and Piero De Palma are the sort of names
that have opera buffs pricking up their
ears. I wouldn’t put Petre Monteanu’s
Hüon above Liebl’s, good though
he is, but Gui adds almost a minute
to the "Prayer". He unfolds
the music with the subtlety of timing
and sheer penetration into the essence
of the music that only a great conductor
can provide. It would have been interesting
to hear Liebl work with a maestro of
this stature. Everyone else contributes
splendidly and far outshines their counterparts
under Kray. Cerquetti’s technique encompasses
all the demands of "Ocean"
and she has the refinement of nuance
in her Cavatina – aided and abetted
by Gui – which is heard on the other
set only from Liebl. Gui is not invariably
slower – he can be remarkably deft and
light in the fairies’ music and unleashes
terrific power in the storm. Kray sounds
very plain in comparison. The performance
is sung in Italian, but then German
is the "wrong" language too,
really. The problem of the dialogue
is solved by having a narrator. A neat
enough solution if you know Italian,
probably tiresome if you don’t. Gui
makes a few minor cuts but basically
the score is complete. The Act III aria
for Hüon in the Peters Edition
is substituted by a jolly Rondo. I don’t
know which of the two was Weber’s final
choice. In spite of obvious drawbacks
I can think of a number of reasons why
Weberians might like to hear a carefully
restored transfer of this performance.
As for the set under
review, well, as a tribute to Liebl
it serves its purpose. With fifty minutes
to spare on the second CD, though, it’s
a pity the various German radio archives
were not trawled for a bit more material,
which surely must exist.
Christopher Howell
footnote
Supplied by Stephen Sutton (Divine Art)
AS the reviewer says that the CD has very little
info, I can tell you that in the USA, it was originally issued
on Opera Society in 1953, 2 10” LPs, catalogue number OP
10/ I am not aware of the UK/European original details.
I can’t recall the cover having much else except a potted
synopsis, and the recording was not brilliant even for its time..
for details
South German Radio Chorus and Orchestra/Hans-Müller
Kray 
