Schubert: The Magic Harp

$16.99
Label
Gramola Records
Release Date
April 8, 2022
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      Schubert, Franz
    • PERFORMER
      Lessky, Junge Philharmonie Wien
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      April 08, 2022
    • UPC
      9003643992634
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      GRAM99263
    • LABEL
      Gramola Records
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      1
    • GENRE
      Classical
    Works ⌄

    1. I. Overture

      Composer: Franz Schubert

      Ensemble: Junge Philharmonie Wien

      Conductor: Michael Lessky

    2. II. The Palindrome

      Composer: Franz Schubert

      Ensemble: Junge Philharmonie Wien

      Conductor: Michael Lessky

    3. III. Melodrama: The spark has flared up

      Composer: Franz Schubert

      Ensemble: Junge Philharmonie Wien

      Conductor: Michael Lessky

    4. IV. Overture to Act 3

      Composer: Franz Schubert

      Ensemble: Junge Philharmonie Wien

      Conductor: Michael Lessky

    5. V. Melodrama: Behind the Scenes

      Composer: Franz Schubert

      Ensemble: Junge Philharmonie Wien

      Conductor: Michael Lessky

    6. VI. Melodrama: Fury, tremble!

      Composer: Franz Schubert

      Ensemble: Junge Philharmonie Wien

      Conductor: Michael Lessky

    7. VII. Melodrama: There they leave in the clear moonlight

      Composer: Franz Schubert

      Ensemble: Junge Philharmonie Wien

      Conductor: Michael Lessky

    8. VIII. Appendix: Chorus of Spirits

      Composer: Franz Schubert

      Ensemble: Junge Philharmonie Wien

      Conductor: Michael Lessky

    9. IX. Melodrama: Ha! What happened to me?

      Composer: Franz Schubert

      Ensemble: Junge Philharmonie Wien

      Conductor: Michael Lessky

    10. X. Finale

      Composer: Franz Schubert

      Ensemble: Junge Philharmonie Wien

      Conductor: Michael Lessky


Franz Schubert’s opera “The Magic Harp” was premiered in 1820 at Theater an der Wien, Vienna, but was withdrawn after only eight performances due to in part devastating response from audience and critics (“nonsense and tedious”, “wretched trash”). The apparently poor libretto and detailed records of the staging were lost, only the music survived, with the overture later serving as the overture to “Rosamunde” and becoming extremely popular. The musicologist and Schubert specialist Brian Newbould transformed the existing melodramas into an orchestral suite, which was premiered in 2019 by the Junge Philharmonie Wien under conductor Michael Lessky. The present world premiere recording of this Magic Harp Suite shows that the music of the then 23-year-old Schubert is already quite progressive and forward-looking, and full of gripping drama in support of the action of the libretto, which could be reconstructed in excerpts.