Performer: Carl Maria von Weber, Marek Janowski, Deon van der Walt
Audio CD
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 2
Format: FLAC (image+cue)
Label: RCA
Size: 500 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Oberon, opera, J. 306
Composed by Carl Maria von Weber
Performed by Berlin Symphony Orchestra
with Dieter Kursawa, Peter Seiffert, Gunther Schoss, Vesselina Kasarova, Heidi Person, Deon Van der Walt, Boje Skovhus, Ulrich Vos, Hermine May, Melinda Paulsen, Viktor Neumann, Peter Fitz, Inga Nielsen
Conducted by Marek Janowski
Disc 1:
01. Overture
02. Act I/Introduction (No. 1)
03. Act I/So schläft er noch
04. Act I/Schreckensschwur! (No. 2 Aria)
05. Act I/Heil Meister, dir!
06. Act I/Warum mußt du schlafen (No. 3 Vision)
07. Act I/Genug der Zaubermacht!
08. Act I/Ehre und Heil dem, der treu ist und brav! (No. 4 Ensemble)
09. Act I/Das holde Traumbild
10. Act I/Von Jugend auf in dem Kampfgefild’ (No. 5 Aria)
11. Act I/Eil, edler Held! (No. 6 Finale)
Disc 2:
01. Act II/Ehre sei dem mächt’gen Kalifen und Preis! (No. 7 Chorus)
02. Act II/Hört, mein Prinz
03. Act II/Ballet (No. 8)
04. Act II/Komm näher, meine Tochter
05. Act II/Melodrama (No. 9)
06. Act II/Fürchte dich nicht
07. Act II/Arabiens einsam’ Kind (No. 10 Arietta)
08. Act II/Genug, meine kleine Sängerin!
09. Act II/Über die blauen Wogen (No. 11 Quartet)
10. Act II/Geister der Luft und Erd’ und See! (No. 12)
11. Act II/Schlag die Augen auf
12. Act II/Vater! Hör mich flehn zu dir! (Prayer)
13. Act II/Mein Hüon!
14. Act II/Ozean, du Ungeheuer! (No. 13 Scene and Aria)
15. Act II/Ha! Eine schöne Beute, bei Mahomet!
16. Act II/Symphony (No. 14)
17. Act II/Du armer Sterblicher!
18. Act II/O wie wogt es sich schön auf der Flut (No. 15 Finale)
19. Act III/Arme, arme Fatime!
20. Act III/Arabien, mein Heimatland (No. 16 Aria)
21. Act III/Fatime! Liebchen!
22. Act III/An dem Strande der Garonne (No. 17 Duet)
23. Act III/So! Nun ist alles in Ordnung
24. Act III/So muß ich mich verstellen? (No. 18 Terzettino)
25. Act III/Traure, mein Herz, um verschwundenes Glück! (No. 19 Cavatina)
26. Act III/Reizendes Wesen
27. Act III/Meine teure, geliebte Rezia! (No. 20 Rondo)
28. Act III/Dort ist sie! Rezia!
29. Act III/Für dich hat Schönheit sich geschmücket (No. 21)
30. Act III/Laßt mich, der ich brauche Gewalt!
31. Act III/Horch! Welch Wunderklingen! (No. 22 Finale)
Lovely, thoroughly Romantic, and a new world for me
Unlike previous reviewers, I’m a novice where classical music is concerned, and particularly where opera is concerned. So I’m approaching it with some trepidation & and a considerable amount of ignorance, as I take my first steps into the edge of an immense ocean.
I picked up this 2-CD set at a library sale, in part because I’m already familiar with the story of Huon of Bordeaux & I was curious to learn how it translates into opera. Also, musically it’s entirely unfamiliar to me, as opposed to more famous operas, which even a novice will have heard at some time or another, if only in suites or fragments. This would be an completely new experience for me.
As it turns out, it’s been a wonderful experience. Simply immersing myself in the music & story, with the aid of the libretto, I began to understand the appeal of opera. It exists in a separate, timeless world, above the soul-fraying trivia of the mundane world. Everything is larger than life & glorious there, with a certain Olympian humor & joy. I could envision each scene in vivid, glowing, magical detail; it made me eager to see an actual live performance.
Previous reviewers also note that this is something of a problematic opera, both in music & libretto. Perhaps that’s what made it an easier entry point for me. Perhaps I’m being overly idealistic, romanticising the experience — but then I’ve always been an ardent pupil of the Romantic poets, so that stands to reason, doesn’t it? In any case, for me this has opened the way to enjoying opera a little more, and I can’t complain about that. God knows there’s so much I still have to learn! But I’m eager to do so, and I’m grateful to this performance for making that happen. So, speaking strictly as a novice — highly recommended!