Weber: Euryanthe / J. Norman, Gedda, R. Hunter, Krause, S. Vogel; Janowski

Euryanthe, opera, J. 291, (Op. 81)
Composed by Carl Maria von Weber
Performed by Leipzig Radio Symphony Chorus, Dresden Staatskapelle
with Jessye Norman, Harald Neukirch, Tom Krause, Rita Hunter, Siegfried Vogel, Renate Krahmer, Nicolai Gedda
Conducted by Marek Janowski

Weber: Euryanthe / J. Norman, Gedda, R. Hunter, Krause, S. Vogel; Janowski,Carl Maria von Weber,Staatskapelle Dresden,Marek Janowski,Jessye Norman,Nicolai Gedda,Rita Hunter,Tom Krause,Siegfied Vogel,Harald Neukirch,Renate Krahmer,Rundfunkchor Leipzig,Berlin Classics,Classical,German/Austrian Romantic Opera,Opera,Opera / Operetta / Oratorio

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BROADFLOWER
For Gedda, Hunter & Weber

Weber: Euryanthe / J. Norman, Gedda, R. Hunter, Krause, S. Vogel; Janowski
Carl Maria von Weber , Staatskapelle Dresden , Marek Janowski , Jessye Norman , Nicolai Gedda , Rita Hunter , Tom Krause , Siegfied Vogel , Harald Neukirch , Renate Krahmer , and Rundfunkchor Leipzig
Manufacturer: Berlin Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Norman, Jessye | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B0000035MN
Release Date: 1994-11-29

Tracks:

Euryanthe: Ouverture
Euryanthe: Akt I, Nr. 1, Introduktion: Dem Frieden Heil! (Chor)
Euryanthe: Akt I, Nr. 1, Ernster Reigen
Euryanthe: Akt I, Nr. 1, Rezitative: Mein Adolar! So fern dem heitern Reigen? (Konig, Adolar, Lysiart)
Euryanthe: Akt I, Nr. 2, Romanze: Unter blueh'nden Mandelbaeumen (Adolar)
Euryanthe: Akt I, Nr. 3, Chor: Heil Euryanth', der Lieblichsten der Schoenen! -Rezitative: Ich trag' es nicht! (Lysiart, Adolar, Konig)
Euryanthe: Akt I, Nr. 4, Terzett mit Chor: Wohlan! Du kennst mein herrlich Eigentum (Lysiart, Adolar, Konig, Mannerchor)
Euryanthe: Akt I, Nr. 5, Kavatine: Gloecklein im Tale (Euryanthe)
Euryanthe: Akt I, Nr. 5, Rezitative: So einsam bangend find' ich dich? (Eglantine, Euryanthe)
Euryanthe: Akt I, Nr. 6, Arie: O mein Leid ist unermessen (Eglantine)
Euryanthe: Akt I, Nr. 6, Rezitative: Freundin! Geliebte! An meine Brust (Euryanthe, Eglantine)
Euryanthe: Akt I, Nr. 7 Duett: Unter ist mein Stern gegangen (Euryanthe, Eglantine)
Euryanthe: Akt I, Nr. 8, Rezitative und Arie: Betoerte, die an meine Liebe glaubt - Er konnte mich um sie verschmaehn! (Eglantine)
Euryanthe: Akt I, Nr. 9, Finale: Jubeltoene, Heldensoehne (Chor, Euryanthe, Eglantine, Lysiart)
Euryanthe: Akt I, Nr. 9, Finale: Froehliche Klaenge, Taenze, Gesaenge (Euryanthe, Chor, Eglantine, Rudolf, Lysiart)

Tracks:

Euryanthe: Akt II, Nr. 10, Szene und Arie: Wo berg' ich mich? - Schweigt, glueh'nden Sehnens wilde Triebe (Lysiart)
Euryanthe: Akt II, Nr. 11, Rezitative und Duett: Der Gruft ertronnen, atm' ich wieder (Eglantine, Lysiart)
Euryanthe: Akt II, Nr. 11, Rezitative und Duett: Komm denn, unser Leid zu raechen! (Eglantine, Lysiart)
Euryanthe: Akt II, Nr. 12, Arie: Wehen mir Luefte Ruh' (Adolar)
Euryanthe: Akt II, Nr. 13, Duett: Hin nimm die Seele mein (Euryanthe, Adolar)
Euryanthe: Akt II, Nr. 14, Finale: Leuchtend fuellt die Koenigshallen (Mannerchor, Konig, Euryanthe, Lysiart, Adolar)
Euryanthe: Akt II, Nr. 14, Finale: Lass mich empor zum Lichte wallen (Euryanthe, Konig, Lysiart, Adolar, Mannerchor)
Euryanthe: Akt II, Nr. 14, Finale: Verleih mein Recht mir (Lysiart, Konig, Adolar, Euryanthe, Mannerchor)

Tracks:

Euryanthe: Akt III, Nr. 15, Rezitative und Duett: Hier weilest du? Hier darf ich ruh'n? (Euryanthe, Adolar)
Euryanthe: Akt III, Nr. 15, Rezitative und Duett: Wie liebt ich dich (Adolar, Euryanthe)
Euryanthe: Akt III, Nr. 16, Arioso und Szene: Schirmende Engelschar (Euryanthe, Adolar)
Euryanthe: Akt III, Nr. 17, Szene und Kavatine: So bin ich nun verlassen
Euryanthe: Akt III, Nr. 17, Szene und Kavatine: Hier dicht am Quell (Euryanthe)
Euryanthe: Akt III, Nr. 18, Jagerchor: Die Tale dampfen, die Hoehen glueh'n (Mannerchor) - Rezitative: O seht! Die Schlang' erlegt 1vonstarker Hand! (Konig, Mannerchor)
Euryanthe: Akt III, Nr. 19, Duett mit Chor: Lasst mich hier in Ruh' erblassen (Euryanthe, Konig, Mannerchor)
Euryanthe: Akt III, Nr. 20, Arie mit Chor: Zu ihm! O weilet nicht! (Euryanthe, Mannerchor)
Euryanthe: Akt III, Nr. 21, Szene mit Chor: Pas de cinq (Ballettmusik)
Euryanthe: Akt III, Nr. 21, Szene mit Chor: Der Mai bringt frische Rosen dar (Adolar, Chor)
Euryanthe: Akt III, Nr. 22, Solo mit Chor: Vernichte Kuehn das Werk der Tuecke (Adolar, Chor)
Euryanthe: Akt III, Nr. 23, Hochzeitsmarsch, Szene und Chor: Das Frevlerpaar! Weh diesem Bunde! (Adolar, Eglantine, Lysiart, Chor)
Euryanthe: Akt III, Nr. 24 Duett mit Chor: Trotze nicht! Vermessener! (Lysiart, Adolar, Chor)
Euryanthe: Akt III, Nr. 25, Finale: Lasst ruh'n das Schwert! (Konig, Adolar, Eglantine, Lysiart, Euryanthe, Chor)
Euryanthe: Akt III, Nr. 25, Duett mit Chor: Hin nimm die Seele mein (Euryanthe, Adolar, Chor)

Customer Reviews:

BROADFLOWER.......2007-04-27

That's the meaning of `Euryanthe', as of course you knew. It is Weber's most advanced effort in the field of opera and it is a truly lovely thing, a flower that opens out to us from its very opening bars and never fades throughout nearly 3 hours of music.

This is a worthy performance too, if not quite the equal of Kleiber's great Freischuetz. The original recording was done in 1974 in what was then East Germany. Digital remastering has been an unqualified benefit in this instance, with none of the characteristic `edge' that the process often creates around the sound. I found the tone of the woodwind early on to be uncommonly mellow and beautiful, and when the brass had its turn I greatly liked the sound of that too. The violin tone was rather more average, without the bloom that I would have preferred ideally. However that may not be something I should attribute to the recording, as the sound of the solo voices is slightly variable as well. There is a slight sense of strain about Rita Hunter's voice in her great `jealousy' aria near the end of act 1 for instance, whereas there is never anything of the kind when it comes to Jessye Norman. Gedda as Adolar always sounds fine but not quite as can really sound on his day, as for instance in his Verdi requiem with Giulini, whereas Tom Krause as Lysiart (and for that matter Siegfried Vogel as the King) always sound magnificent. A more probable conclusion is that although all the singing is good some of it is better than other some. In particular, all the cast are slightly overshadowed by the voice of Jessye Norman as Euryanthe, a voice that in its glorious prime was surely one of the greatest in the entire 20th century.

They sing well in solos, they sing well in duets, and the chorus completes the listener's pleasure by performing superbly as well - how much better Weber's choral writing is than Wagner's, I found myself thinking. All is well at the dramatic level too. Janowski strikes me as having this score in his bones, all the way from his flexible and expressive handling of the overture through the beautiful extended preludes to the later acts to the fine excited and exciting ending. He draws great but very natural and unforced eloquence from his players, doing justice to the composer's superb orchestration, and I had the feeling throughout that the singers were comfortable with him. There was not a single tempo that I found inappropriate, and this fine group of soloists is given the opportunity to shine in the great string of jewels that Weber has provided for them. Stylistically it seemed right to me as well. Power is sometimes called for of course, but Weber does not require singers to sing to split their lungs as Verdi so often does, and these singers, great Verdian artists, know the difference. Whether in the more melodramatic sequences or in the gentler and more reflective parts they all remember the great rule in this great piece - first, last and always stay musical and lyrical.

I have no real criticism to offer regarding the production and editing. The text is sensibly given in German and English only, although for some reason the liner essay appears in French too. The English translation is anonymous, which is slightly unfair to the translator as it is much better English than we often find in such cases. There is a summary of the plot, but I had to read the entire text before I could understand the summary. Whatever Helmine von Chezy's shortcomings as a poet at least her plot-line is a model of clarity.

As I said, not quite the equal of Kleiber's Freischuetz, but that would have been a tall order. It's easily good enough for me. If there are other versions around that surpass this one in certain respects, they would still have to overcome the near-insuperable challenge of finding a Euryanthe to equal Jessye Norman.

For Gedda, Hunter & Weber.......2003-01-18

Buy it for gedda,Hunter and of course WEBER-
What a beautiful music..
Perfect recording..
You'll need the libretto to understand miss Norman

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