SACDs - Schreker

Prices shown exclude VAT. (UK tax is not payable for deliveries to United States.)
See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates.

Schreker: Irrelohe

Schreker: Irrelohe


Roman Sadnik (Heinrich, Graf von Irrelohe), Ingeborg Greiner (Tochter des Försters), Daniela Denschlag (Lola, Schankwirtin), Mark Morouse (Peter, ihr Sohn), Mark Rosenthal (Christobald, ein Hochzeitsspieler), Musikant Valentin Jar (Fünkchen), Piotr Micinski (Strahlbusch, Musikant), Ramaz Chikviladze (Ratzekahl, Musikant), Rafael Bruck (Anselmus, Hauswart auf Irrelohe), Martin Tzonev (Der Förster), Boris Beletskiy (Der Pfarrer), Johannes Marx (Der Müller), Josef Michael Linnek (Ein Lakai)

Chor des Theater Bonn & Beethoven Orchester Bonn, Stefan Blunier

This opera was premiered by Klemperer in 1924 but was lost then rediscovered at the end of the 70s. The plot includes crazy counts, passion, a church wedding, curses, indomitable love and arson which belies its true inception: Schreker apparently conceived this opera whilst falling asleep on a train and Irrelohe is the name of a station somewhere between Dresden and Nuremberg!

“it's an impressive effort. The Beethoven Orchester Bonn is fully up to the challenge of Schreker's densely scored music, though deftly balanced, exemplary SACD sound means that plenty of detail is captured.” International Record Review, January 2012

“[a] medieval tale of diabolic possession, rape and fratricide by a musical style that was regarded by conservatives as too abrasive, while retaining the grand gestures that modernists found backward-looking. Schreker's command of the orchestra is as magisterial as ever, but the score's overripe romanticism seems cloying and dated” The Guardian, 27th October 2011 ***

Super Audio CD

Format:

Hybrid Multi-channel

MDG Live - MDG9371687

(SACD - 3 discs)

$52.75

In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day.

Schreker: Der Ferne Klang

Schreker: Der Ferne Klang


Sally du Randt & Mathias Schulz

Philharmonisches Orchester Augsburg, Dirk Kafton

Franz Schreker (1878-1934) is one of the many late romantic German and Austrian composers who became victims of the Nazi purge on “degenerate art”. Schreker came in for abuse mostly because of some Jewish roots in his family and a penchant for lurid subject matter in his most famous operas. Musically, his operas are no more radical than Strauss’ Elektra. But whereas Strauss retreated into a sort of polite neo-classicism tinged with Wagner in his later years, Schreker stayed a basically late-romantic expressionist and this expressionist aspect doomed his music.

Der Ferne Klang debuted in 1912 in Frankfurt and launched Schreker into the top rank of composers of his time. The same year he was appointed to the faculty of the Vienna Academy of Music in the areas of counterpoint, harmony, and composition. The plot involves an artist who abandons his fiancé to go in search of “the distant sound” which will allow him to produce the perfect work of art. As the opera progresses, the main character, Fritz, leads a life of gradually increasing desolation and eventually dies. On his death bed he finally hears “Der ferne Klang”. The score is in fine expressionist mode, though basically tonal. Schreker was one of the most brilliant orchestrators of the early 20th century.

The present recording arises out of highly acclaimed live performances of the opera given in the Augsburg Opera House (Germany) in spring 2010.

Super Audio CD

Format:

Hybrid Multi-channel

ARS Produktion - ARS38080

(SACD - 2 discs)

$26.50

(also available to download from $21.00)

This item is currently out of stock at the UK distributor. You may order it now but please be aware that it may be six weeks or more before it can be despatched. (Available now to download.)

Composers

Copyright © 2002-13 Presto Classical Limited, all rights reserved.