Search - Richard Wagner, Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Wolfgang Sawallisch :: Wagner - Das Liebesverbot / Hass, Coburn, Schunk, Prey, Engen, Bayerische Staatsoper, Sawallisch

Worthwhile addition to Wagner canon in fine performance

Laon | moon-lit Surry Hills | 05/30/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a splendid example of early Wagner, with the Master showing a fine and perhaps unexpected gift for Italianate melody - along with occasional sonorities that point the way ahead. The libretto is based on Shakespeare's _Measure for Measure_, but transplanted and updated from Shakespeare's medieval Palermo to 16th century Sicily, which is very much a party place in Wagner's version. The move allows Wagner to present an Italian province under German rule, not - as one school of Wagner commentory might lead you to expect - to glorify the notion of German rule, but rather the opposite. Wagner's aim in this early comic opera is to ridicule the heaviness of German culture, and by contrast to present the free-living and free-thinking Italians as the people who hold the secrets of both life and art. Friedrich the German Viceroy stands in for Shakespeare's lustful and hypocritical Angelo; the cast list and plot is otherwise broadly the same as Shakespeare's. One particularly striking scene at the beginning of Act 2 makes use of a striking "Amen" theme later recycled in _Tannhäuser_, but where in that later reuse the theme leads into some heavy work for brass, this earlier use leads into a very pretty duet for two sopranos; Claudio's sister Isabella and a nun outside Claudio's cell. If you want to listen to part of this opera before buying, that might be the scene I recommend you try. Overall the standard of melodic inventiveness is high - higher than people might suspect who have only heard the overture from this opera. Wagner's vocal music in _Liebesverbot_ is generally better than the purely orchestral overture. Several of the themes from the overture show up in a better light later, when given their full, vocal, exposition, than in that slightly busy piece. One rather frenetic theme (anyone who has heard the overture will recognise it from the description "frenetic"), a primitive Liemotif that depicts the spirit of carnival, does rather outstay its welcome in Act 3, as it also does in the overture: altogether too much of a good thing. On the other hand it's ideal for a "What composer is this?" quizz. No-one is likely to guess Wagner. The performance under Sawallisch is excellent, with a good, generally young, ensemble cast with no weak links. The live recording is also of a high quality. Audience laughter makes it clear that the comedy is working in the theatre, often in slightly puzzling places that suggest physical comedy on-stage that (obviously enough) can't communicate on CD. But the occasional laughter only adds to the ambience; it is not intrusive on the music. The issue gets four stars and not five mainly because of the decision to issue such a rare opera without a libretto. I managed to obtain a copy of a libretto issued as a souvenir of performances of this opera in New York in 1978; I don't expect many other people who buy these CDs will have as much luck. When everything else about this release is so good, it is a pity to mar the package with inadequate documentation. But for Wagner fans who believe that the minor work of a great composer can be more interesting than the best work of a minor composer, I'd certainly recommend this purchase. Cheers!Laon"

Bubbly, Exciting, and a real Treat

Laon | 12/05/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the Wagner opera I mention in my review of Die Feen (the one whose German Title I couldn't remember). For those expecting anything like even the Flying Dutchman, be warned, you won't find it here. What exactly will you find? I think that question has bellied everyone since it was premiered and quickly forgotten. Wagner's style is delightful, rousing, and downright exciting in a way that one doesn't find in all his other operas. The vocal writing is very suave and quite delightful (Wagner had studied his Italian masters well) And unlike Meistersinger, one actually finds something funny in this work. To me, the audience reactions add to the performance, and for once we hear a comic opera where there must be something funny happening, or the audience is at least getting the joke (one never sees that with the Marriage of Figaro, or even the Barber of Seville, and for that matter in most comic opera). Most people who know anything about the opera know it is derived from Shakespeare, but like Shakespeare, Wagner was not true to his source, but rather created something uniquely his own. I was fortunate to acquire a lithograph score of the autograph manuscript which made following the recording fairly easy. There are cuts, but nothing that distorts the concept of the work. However, if you are not one who has had such a fortune as I have of finding old and forgotten works, and even copies of the manuscipt, then you are left knowing virtually nothing about the opera, the words, or even what is happening where. I think it is a crime for companies to release a work without the needed information to truly enjoy it. This is especially true of unknown works. I rated the recording five stars because of the singing, the orchestra, the conducting, and because I could enjoy the audience reactions as they caught the humor of the situations. HOWEVER, if I had not had the score, and if I had not have been sort of familiar with the work, I would have been totally lost. I would have enjoyed the music, but been completely lost as to what was happening where and why. To really enjoy a work people need to know what it is all about, and at very least a libretto is needed to do that. Would I recommend this recording to everyone? Well, yes, if you love opera. And NO, if you are not sure of what kind of opera you love. For the disciple of Wagner I would say it is a must. Without it you don't have a true picture of the development of the man. I would recommend that you borrow it before buying it, if you can, so that you can see if it is your cup of tea or not. I know some people don't like being told that, but there is nothing worse than buying something you think is great only to discover you hated every moment of it. There is nothing in this work you have heard before. None of it has worked its way into popular culture, or even into classical music culture. There are no arias you have heard out of context for generations and are now hearing in context. There is no overture that you have heard all the time in the concert hall (unlike Rienzi, whose overture is well known). The opera is a complete unknown on all fields. That can be a blessing, for no matter how you hear it, there is no tradition behind how it should be performed. In a sense, as long as it makes enjoyable music, anything goes. This said, it is an enjoyable work, and one where Wagner did capture the humor of the situation, and the spritely nature of the events. It is not long-winded and plodding like Meistersingers (which I have never found the slightest bit funny, so no matter what the opera is called, it is not comedy to me; it is nothing more than a sentimental love story with a happy ending, and lots of gorgeous music). One is moved forward into the drama. This fact alone makes it worth listening to. If you enjoy what you hear, then buy it and experience it often."