Although celebrated as the father of German Romantic opera, Carl Maria von Weber is today generally known for one opera alone: Der Freischütz. Most of his other works for the stage - including the incidental music for several plays - are nowadays rarely performed. But their overtures have survived the test of time and are popular fillers at orchestral concerts, imbued as they are with Weber's particular mix of Romantic drama and lyricism and Classical lightness of touch. Striking is also the inimitable, colourful instrumentation, which is given free reins in these scores for librettos and plays that are set in China and Arabia, and among Spanish gypsies and knights in 12th-century France. The present disc includes ten of these gems, from the overture to Weber's first surviving opera Peter Schmoll und seine Nachbarn - composed at the age of fifteen - to that of Oberon, written in London for Covent Garden less than two months before his death from tuberculosis, aged 39. The team of Jean-Jacques Kantorow and the Tapiola Sinfonietta have recorded numerous discs for BIS, by composers as diverse as Saint-Saëns, Mozart, Shostakovich and Rautavaara. Acclaimed releases have also been dedicated to the music of Weber, most recently his symphonies on a disc which was described as 'without doubt among the finest additions to the Weber discography in recent years' by the reviewer of the German magazine Fono Forum. His French colleague in Diapason was equally enthusiastic, remarking upon the dramatic qualities of the recording: 'Kantorow stages a theatre of sounds in which each instrument is an actor...'

Also available on Blu-ray

Weber was at the forefront of the rise of German Romantic opera and sought to dethrone Rossini from his position as the leading operatic composer in Europe. In his breakthrough and most popular opera Der Freischütz (‘The Marksman’) composed in 1821, he succeeded in his aim of establishing a truly German form. Turning to the folklore and folk songs of his native land he took a story of a marksman who makes a pact with the Devil, vesting it with powerful intensity – not least in the famous Wolf’s Glen scene – and an astonishing control of orchestral color and atmosphere.

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REVIEW:

Goodness, but Der Freischütz is a problematic opera for today! You can’t ignore it because it’s instrumental in the development of German musical Romanticism; several scholars would even call it its progenitor. Schumann, Mendelssohn, Wagner and Strauss would have been unthinkable without it, and even Beethoven, who was no friend of Weber’s, was impressed. However, it poses an all but insoluble problem in staging it for modern audiences. Its setting is so grounded in the Romantic German Forest that any attempts to remove it from there or to update its setting invariably fall flat or seem reductive (or simply indulgent). However, staging it in its original setting risks seeming like a parody of blood-and-soil National Socialism. This dilemma means that, more often than not, it’s one of those works where you’re far better to retreat into the pictures of your own mind’s eye, and happily we have lots of good CD recordings to help us do that, most notably those from Keilberth, Kleiber, Harnoncourt and Davis.

This 2017 La Scala production is a game-changer, however, and it does the best job I’ve yet seen of putting the opera on stage in a way that is neither daft nor wilfully obstructive. Matthias Hartmann goes for a mixture of the specific and the abstract. There are plenty of trees to put us in the forest, but well-placed strips of lighting suggest the church, the hut and the mountainscape behind. The costumes are a quirky mix of national dresses – ranging from Scotland to the Balkans – but, more importantly, Hartmann also gets into the work’s dark psychological possibilities, wondering whether Max’s obsession with the magic bullets is a mirror for his wider insecurities. He doesn’t shun the supernatural, however: various devils appear to direct Kaspar’s actions, and occasionally we see demonic creatures that might have been lifted out of a painting by Hieronymus Bosch. Importantly, this eclecticism works. It poses many questions and gives every facet of the opera its due without getting trapped in any of them, and that alone makes this the opera’s most successful outing on film to date.

The musical performances are excellent too. Who would have thought that the La Scala orchestra would be so good at this cornerstone of the German repertoire? Their playing of the overture is one of the best you’ll hear, with dark, suggestive strings at the opening, a heart-stopping quartet of horns, and a crackling sense of drama in the main Allegro. Myung-Whun Chung is a natural with the whole score, too, shaping the unfolding drama with an unfailingly right sense of where it is going and how it is going to get there.

The singers are top-notch. Julia Kleiter is radiant, luxuriously beautiful in her two big arias without a hint of simpering, and Eva Liebau’s Ännchen is a delightfully light-hearted contrast. Both are fully comfortable in the tessitura and are a joy to listen to as well as to watch. Michael König has a tiny touch of abrasion in his Heldentenor voice, but I could forgive him for his heroic tone, and Stephen Milling does a wonderful deus ex machina as the Hermit. Best of all, though, is Günther Groissböck, whose Kaspar sets the stage alight, almost literally so in the Wolf’s Glen scene. He’s a powerhouse to watch, and he uses his big bass voice with agility and athleticism to bring the part to life.

I approached this with a good degree of scepticism, but I found it completely compelling and was totally won over. To my great surprise, it solves the problems of staging Der Freischütz for our time. With its compelling production and its brilliant musicianship, it is now a clear first choice for Der Freischütz on film, and it’s by some margin the best opera film I’ve seen in 2019 so far.

– MusicWeb International (Simon Thompson)

Opera Arias (Soprano): Lemnitz, Tiana - GLUCK, C.W. / MOZART

Nearly every music lover is acquainted with Der Freischutz, but the fewest are aware of Euryanthe. In the light of the musical quality of the opera, the disdain for it does not seem fitting. Euryanthe was Carl Maria von Weber’s most ambitious project, one that anything but backfired. The composition may certainly be termed ground-breaking and truly deserves more attention. “A chain of glittering jewels from the beginning to the end. All witty and ingenious,” (Robert Schumann in his critic about Euryanthe.) The present release features a live recording of the work, which was taken in December of 2018 and features the Arnold Schoenberg Chor and the Orf Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, as well as a group of brilliant soloists.

On this disc, Carl Maria von Weber’s Invitation to Dance and Symphonies Nos 1 and 2 are performed by the BBC Philharmonic under its Chief Conductor, Juanjo Mena. Scottish bassonist Karen Geoghegan joins them as the soloist in the Bassoon Concerto

“Yesterday, with genuine pleasure I attended a kind rehearsal of the opera ‘Peter Schmoll und seine Nachbarn’ by my pupil Mr. Carl Maria von Weber, and I cannot help attesting with truth, [...] that I consider it only right and proper that I recommend this, my favorite pupil, be welcomed by the entire musical and sensitive world.” (Johann Michael Haydn, 1802) After the artful overture, which may make an absolute claim to autonomy, Peter Schmoll shows a colorful succession of a total of 20 numbers, as was customary in the musical comedies composed in this manner for about three decades. In Peter Schmoll, we see glimpses of the ‘typical’ Weber, based primarily on the melodic idea, such as we know him today from Der Freischütz, written in 1817.

With Capriccio Encore we re-release the most famous recordings from the back catalogue in a remastered version, new design and for a special price. Legendary recordings of artists like Sandor Vegh, Ton koopman, Sir Nevill Marriner or the Vienna boys’ Choir are also included as special repertoire highlights from the baroque to the contemporary era. German composer Carl Maria Von Weber was one of the most significant composers in the romantic school. His operas greatly influenced the development of Romantic Opera in Germany, with his “Der Freischutz” being regarded as the first German “nationalist” opera. This release features the overtures from several of his operas, including the aforementioned as well as “Euryanthe,” “Abu Hassan,” and others. The Staatskapelle Dresden has a long history with the music of Weber, and rises to meet this challenge wonderfully under the baton of Gustav Kuhn.

On this recording, Belgian clarinettist Roeland Hendrikx intends to rehabilitate Weber by playing his best music. Weber was an animal of the theatre in all his works: the Clarinet Concertos are increasingly recognised as early highlights in Weber’s career. The introductory assertion in the Breitkopf & Hartel-edition of 1954 states that Weber’s three works for clarinet and orchestra represent “a clear creative climax...the precipitation of a completely mature personality”. Previous release by Roeland Hendrikx on Evil Penguin: Dedications (Clarinet Concertos by Finzi, Mozart and Bruch). Klassik Heute: "Hendrikx's soft, unbroken tone, perfect in all registers, blends wonderfully with the with downright heavenly euphony and sublime tonal perfection of London Philharmonic."

Wilhelm Furtwängler had a unique philosophy of music. He saw symphonic music as creations of nature that could only be realized subjectively into sound. Neville Cardus wrote in the Manchester Guardian in 1954 of Furtwängler's conducting style: "He did not regard the printed notes of the score as a final statement, but rather as so many symbols of an imaginative conception, ever changing and always to be felt and realized subjectively..." This precious edition by Furtwängler was made available following a performance at the Salzburg Festival in 1954, the last year of the director’s life and fortunately this was not an amateur tape! The performance was instead recorded by Austrian radio technicians, and still today it can be counted among those that enjoy excellent sound quality.

Delicate contrasts of mood and bright clear recording.

Of particular interest in this collection of Weber’s uplifting overtures are those from Der Beherrscher der Geister, Turandot, Jubel and Silvana. Der Freischütz, Euryanthe and Oberon need little introduction.
 
Those overtures from the forgotten Weber operas have shed their obscurity in the opera house for favourite status in the concert hall. Following Beethoven and Mozart, Weber’s works for the stage were considered fresh, and seen to carry a blend of strong orchestral craftsmanship, coupled with inspired lyricism and this is evident from the overtures.
 
In the various recordings of popular Weber overtures one is often aware of the presence of either a ‘robustly mechanical’ or ‘sensitive’ reading. Here, the New Zealand orchestra under Wit engage in delicate contrasts of mood coupled with a bright and clear recording. This puts them in the same league as some of the more prestigious recordings.
 
This is the first time I have heard Abu Hassan played with such vitality and speed. This approach certainly adds spice to Weber’s bustling score. The warm wind section in a fine acoustic - against subtly balanced shimmering strings - provides real appeal in their rendering of Der Freischütz. The Turandot music was completely unknown to me. Its simple pipe opening comes across as particularly British yet it was written for Stuttgart in 1809. I find from the notes that the ‘folk music’ opening was Weber’s interpretation of the Chinese idiom!
 
The elegance of Preciosa is charming with contrast provided by the sedate introduction and the energetically dynamic central section with crisply defined first violins.
 
One may be surprised that the Jubel Overture ends with the British National Anthem. This work however was composed after the Battle of Waterloo and celebrated the 50 ^th anniversary of the then King’s accession. Its majestic opening gives the necessary pomp and splendour.
 
Antoni Wit is an accomplished conductor who studied in Krakôw and works with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and with Polish Television and Radio. We remember his excellent interpretation of the Prokofiev piano concertos and later of the Messiaen Turangalila symphony in 2002.
 
The notes in English are fairly generous and give more than adequate background to the overtures.
 
--Raymond J Walker, MusicWeb Intenational
 

The multi-award-winning Scottish Chamber Orchestra gives it's internationally-acclaimed principal musicians a chance to dazzle in Weber's virtuosic and thrilling concertos. Originally released in 2012, 'Weber: Wind Concertos' has been re-issued as part of Linn's ECHO series which offers a second chance to enjoy the best of the label's award-winning catalogue. Alexander Janiczek leads Maximilano Mart�n (clarinet), Peter Whelan (bassoon) and Alec Frank-Gemmill (horn) in a thrilling programme. Composed at a pivotal time in the instrument's development the Clarinet Concerto is one of the cornerstones of the clarinet repertoire, performed impressively here by Maximilano Mart�n. For this performance Peter Whelan has reconstructed a version of the 1822 Bassoon Concerto score rather than employing the commonly used 1865 version. In a unique twist Alec Frank-Gemmill performs his own version of the cadenza in the virtuosic Horn Concertino famous for it's chromatic pitches and the requirement of multiphonic chords. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra is a world-renowned orchestra whose recordings with conductors such as Robin Ticciati and Sir Charles Mackerras have resulted in multiple accolades and awards. Spanish clarinettist Maximiliano Mart�n is rapidly establishing himself as one of the most exciting and charismatic musicians of his generation. Peter Whelan is one of Europe's leading exponents of historical and modern bassoon and the founder and artistic director of Ensemble Marsyas. Alec Frank-Gemmill, recognised internationally for the beauty of his tone, ranks among the finest of a new generation of horn players.

WEBER: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 / Turandot Overture / Silvana

Weber's four piano sonatas are packed with unforgiving and cruelly exposed passages involving octaves, double notes, unison runs, and other virtuoso challenges. Yet there's plenty of charm and elegance underneath the music's glittery surface. Michael Endres employs his scintillating technique to emphasize Weber's inherent Romanticism by way of tasteful rhetorical broadenings (usually in first-movement second subjects) and by stressing inner counterpoints and stepwise bass lines.

The First sonata's famous "Perpetuum Mobile" is a good example of Endres' approach, in that the pianist makes more of the left hand's tuneful bounty than most. Also notable are the strategically placed moments of relaxation in the fleet finale of the Fourth sonata (by contrast, Fleisher's classic mono recording bursts from the starting gate and rarely lets up). At the same time, Endres truly takes the Third sonata's Allegro Feroce to heart, though not quite matching Hamish Milne's gaunt intensity here, or Richter's crisp and supple articulation in the finale.

Endres' adherence to the Second sonata's myriad expressive markings pays memorable dividends that easily stand up to Garrick Ohlsson's more volatile recording. The variation sets, Invitation to the Dance, and Grande Polonaise sport plenty of stylish zest and effortless fingerwork, along with soft windows of color that offset the bright, slightly flinty sonics. In sum, this makes an attractively priced complement to the more expensive Milne and Ohlsson Weber sonata cycles.

--Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com

Classical Music

WEBER: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 / Polacca brillante