Search - Carl Maria von Weber, Alexander Paley, Brian Zeger :: Weber: Overtures (Piano Arrangement)

"Weber's final epitaph must be, however, that he made German

Hexameron | 05/26/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is the estimation the authors of Men of Music: Their Lives, Times and Achievements chose to give Weber. It's hardly disputable in the scope of music history, but it's obviously still an understatement. While the authors of this composer lexicon insult Weber's piano music, they at least acknowledge that "very little is done, nowadays, to disabuse us of the idea that Weber wrote three overtures, a piano concerto, a notable salon piece - and nothing more." Although Weber's Overtures have been recorded well enough, this is the first volume that aspires to capture all ten of Weber's extant Overtures as arranged for four hands by the composer himself. And so Alexander Paley returns with the assistance of Brian Zeger to give us another volume in the Weber Piano Music series, a series I thought was concluded with Volume 4!



The Overtures on this recording are lined up so that they almost follow the chronological order of composition. Weber's first two operas of his youth have been lost, so "Peter Schmoll and his Neighbors" is essentially the earliest opera we have of Weber's. Written at the tender age of 15, the Overture is witty, sparkling and brilliant - it's easy to imagine the piano duo smiling as they play this genial Mozartean piece. The Overture to "Rubezahl" is surprisingly beautiful and makes splendid and totally Romantic piano music in its own right. Weber's "Silvana" is believed to be a reworking of his second lost opera, "Das Waldmadchen" and the Overture is a fantastic effort, again crystallized and imbued with new life through the hands of Paley and Zeger. The Overtures to "Abu Hassan" and "Turandot" are characterized by exotic melodies, the first inspired by the Arabian Nights and the other about a Chinese Princess Turandot. Both Overtures are brief excursions (under 4 minutes) but always infectious and dazzling.



Weber's "Preciosa" is of a Spanish flavor but always sounds Classical and the Overture comes from the Mozartean vein. Paley's and Zeger's delivery is unquestionably good, but this music sounds great on the piano anyway. Weber's "Jubilee Overture" is an overture by itself, composed for an occasion and not an opera. The music is fanciful and exuberant stuff, climaxing with an ecstatic "God Save the King" tune. Most notable here is Paley's and Zeger's careful dynamics and resounding virtuosity. The less successful arrangements (not performances) are unfortunately the best Overtures on this recording: "Der Freischutz" and "Oberon." The arrangements are just too weak when compared with Liszt's triumphant transcriptions. For "Der Freischutz" see Liszt at the Opera: Operatic Fantasies, Paraphrases, and Transcriptions, Vol. I (Complete Music for Solo Piano, Vol. 6) and for the "Oberon" Overture: Liszt at the Opera III. The quality of music and the energy behind this piano duo must be considered, though, and thus Weber's Overtures still shine as four hand arrangements. For sonority and grandeur, I still implore the curious to get Leslie Howard's recording of Liszt's transcriptions.



Bottom line: This is a wonderful addition to the Weber Piano Music series. Besides "Der Freischutz," "Euryanthe" and "Oberon," we rarely hear any of Weber's other resplendent Overtures even in concert. Doubly rare is to actually hear a piano arrangement of them. Needless to say, the piano duo is coordinated and enthusiastic, conveying all the operatic drama and exceptional melodic content of the orchestral Overtures."