Search - Weber, Wit, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra :: Weber: Overtures

Weber's Orchestral Works for the Theater

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 01/09/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Although titled 'Weber Overtures', this CD consists not only of overtures but also incidental music for theater pieces. It includes the overtures to Weber's best-known operas -- 'Der Freischütz', 'Euryanthe' and 'Oberon'-- as well as for other lesser-known operas -- 'Peter Schmoll and His Neighbors', 'Silvana', 'Abu Hassan' -- and incidental music for stageworks -- 'The Ruler of the Spirits', 'Turandot' (Schiller's dramatization of Gozzi's fairy tale), 'Preciosa' -- and a free-standing piece, 'Jubel-Ouvertüre'. From the very earliest work one hears Weber's wonderful way with orchestration -- it should be remembered that Berlioz used several examples of Weber's orchestration in his treatise on the subject -- and his unending flow of engaging melody.



The three well-known overtures are giving sparkling performances in quite wonderful sound. Stereo separation provided by the recording engineer, Tim Handley, allows one to visualize the sound-stage vividly. One of the longer pieces here, the ten-minute overture to 'Peter Schmoll', is notable for sounding exactly like the mature Weber even though written by a boy of fifteen, and indeed being, for me, the real discovery on the disc; it's the one I keep going back to because of both its dramatic cogency and melodic fecundity.



It's amusing to hear the 'Turandot' music because it is, of course, much more familiar from its use in Hindemith's 'Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber.' This CD includes the overture and the Act II march from 'Turandot.' Also influenced by early 19th-century notions of Eastern music is the sparkling little three-and-a-half-minute gem, the overture to 'Abu Hassan', a 'Turkish' singspiel. (I wonder if Turkish music really goes indulge in such delightful fughettas?)



The overture to 'Silvana' uses the kinds of forest motives one finds in much of Weber, most notably in 'Der Freischütz.' 'Jubel-Ouvertüre' ('Jubilee Overture') was written for a celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the reign of the Saxon king, Frederick Augustus. A bit distractingly it concludes with a majestic version of 'Heil dir im Siegerkranz', what we would know as either 'God Save the King' or 'My Country 'tis of Thee.' The tune is, of course, an old one whose exact provenance is not known, but it almost certainly goes back to at least the 17th century.



The excellent and underrated Polish conductor Antoni Wit, known for his many recordings for this label, is here heard conducting the excellent New Zealand Symphony Orchestra who seem to be making lots of recordings these days, to our benefit.



Probably not all the music recorded here is of the highest quality, and you might already have recordings of the three best-known overtures, but for those who know they like Weber and want to hear some of his lesser-known music this one could very well be an attractive acquisition.



Scott Morrison"