Lortzing: Der Wildschutz / Composer Albert Lortzing / Artist Peter Schreier tenor / Edith Mathis soprano / Rundfunkchor Berlin / Staatskapelle Berlin / Bernhard Klee conductor / Format 2 CD. Albert Lortzing was familiar with the stage from his earliest years, for both his parents were actors, and by the age of 18 he too was engaged as both an actor and singer. His career was anything but stable, however; a competent composer, he divided his time between precarious kapellmeister positions - including a stint at the Theater an der Wien - and having to revert to acting in order to support himself. He died impoverished and unhappy in 1851, a few months after securing his third kapellmeister post. Today he is best remembered for his Singspiel Der Wildschütz, a masterpiece of writing and whose libretto the composer himself fashioned from Kotzebue's comedy Der Rehbock, oder Die schuldlosen Schuld bewußten, which had been published earlier in 1816. Kotzebue's work is a whirlwind of character disguise, a piece whose titillating coquetry touches firmly on frivolity but manages to evade full-scale immorality, and Lortzing also added small touches of his own to the story - including the character of the majordomo Pancratius, whose role has traditionally been performed in Saxon dialect. The enduring appeal of Der Wildschütz, however, clearly rests on the score, with Lortzing's lightness of touch, his memorable and catchy tunes, and the vivid characterization of comic situations lending his music a charm that appears as fresh as ever. An ardent admirer of Mozart, it is in Der Wildschütz, more than in any other of his operas, that Lortzing succeeded in writing at least a few numbers that are reminiscent of the great composer. This applies particularly to his carefully wrought ensemble passages, which greatly outweigh the arias in terms of number and of which the much-admired Billiards Scene (Act 2) is surely the greatest.
3 Es Lebe Das Brautpaar! - So Munter Und Fröhlich Wie Heute
4 Lied a, B, C, D
5 Ein Brief Vom Herrn Grafen
6 Grete! Grete!
7 Laß Er Doch Hören!
8 Wie Kannst Du So Mein Herz Touchieren?
9 Viel Dank Bin Ich Ihm Schuldig
10 Auf Des Lebens Raschen Wogen
11 Der Kutscher Hat Ausgespannt - Laß Er Mich in Ruhe
12 Was Meint Ihr, Lieber Freund
13 Sagt Mir, Schönes Kind - He! FÜHRT Er Sich Nicht Ordentlich Auf?
14 Was Ist Denn Das FÜR Ein Geblase? - Hunting Song. Seht Dort Den Muntern Jäger
15 Eine Kurze Rast, Leute
16 Lasset Uns Nach Hause Gehen
17 Ist Der Gnäd'ge Herr Noch Da?
18 Seht, Da Bin Ich
19 Bin Ein Schlichtes Kind Vom Lande
20 Es LÄßT Am Himmel Sich
21 Introduction. Prelude
22 Nicht Geplautert! Acht Gegeben!
23 Aber Was Hat Denn Das Zu Bedeuten - Nein, Nein, Herr Stallmeister
24 Bleiben Soll Ich Und Stets Sie Sehen
25 Der Junge Mann Macht Mir Angst
- Disc 2 -
1 Frau Gräfin, Ich Habe Untertänigst Zu Melden - 'Strahl Der Sonne
2 Was Seh' Ich? Mir Aus Den Augen!
3 Ich Höre, Daß Hier Oben
4 Wen Seh' Ich?
5 Die Herren Möchten Zur Abendtafel Komen - Höre Mich An, Gretchen
6 Ihr Weib?
7 Was Soll Das Heißen?
8 Ich Habe Num'ro Eins
9 Welch Unruhvolles Treiben!
10 Wie Ein Schlag Aus Heitern Höhen
11 He! Schulmeister!
12 Fünftausend Taler!
13 Wie Freundlich Strahlt Die Helle Morgensonne - Heiterkeit Und Fröhlichkeit
14 Siehe Da, Der Herr Graf
15 Um Die Laube Zu Schmücken
16 Nicht Übel, Meine Herren - Und Nun Laß Er Mich in Ruhe - Da Bin Ich. Habt Ihr Der Sache Nachgedacht?
17 Komm, Liebes Gretchen
18 Seh' Ich Recht? - Herr Stallmeister - Fast Scheint Es Mir - Schönes Gretchen
19 Was Seh' Ich?
20 Kann Es Im Erdenleben
21 Unser Herr Lebe Hoch!
Lortzing: Der Wildschutz / Composer Albert Lortzing / Artist Peter Schreier tenor / Edith Mathis soprano / Rundfunkchor Berlin / Staatskapelle Berlin / Bernhard Klee conductor / Format 2 CD. Albert Lortzing was familiar with the stage from his earliest years, for both his parents were actors, and by the age of 18 he too was engaged as both an actor and singer. His career was anything but stable, however; a competent composer, he divided his time between precarious kapellmeister positions - including a stint at the Theater an der Wien - and having to revert to acting in order to support himself. He died impoverished and unhappy in 1851, a few months after securing his third kapellmeister post. Today he is best remembered for his Singspiel Der Wildschütz, a masterpiece of writing and whose libretto the composer himself fashioned from Kotzebue's comedy Der Rehbock, oder Die schuldlosen Schuld bewußten, which had been published earlier in 1816. Kotzebue's work is a whirlwind of character disguise, a piece whose titillating coquetry touches firmly on frivolity but manages to evade full-scale immorality, and Lortzing also added small touches of his own to the story - including the character of the majordomo Pancratius, whose role has traditionally been performed in Saxon dialect. The enduring appeal of Der Wildschütz, however, clearly rests on the score, with Lortzing's lightness of touch, his memorable and catchy tunes, and the vivid characterization of comic situations lending his music a charm that appears as fresh as ever. An ardent admirer of Mozart, it is in Der Wildschütz, more than in any other of his operas, that Lortzing succeeded in writing at least a few numbers that are reminiscent of the great composer. This applies particularly to his carefully wrought ensemble passages, which greatly outweigh the arias in terms of number and of which the much-admired Billiards Scene (Act 2) is surely the greatest.
