Kienzl: Der Evangelimann

Opera no  67

Kienzl: Der Evangelimann

Soloists

Munich Radio Orchestra

Lathar Zagrosek

This is another opera which had a huge initial impact but which has almost disappeared from view. I had heard it years ago and was glad to make its reaquaintance. Stylistically it was rather hard to pin down. Wagner was certainly a major influence. The music at the end of the first act to illustrate the fire was clearly indebted to the Magic Fire music from Die Walkure and parts of the anguished monologue in Act 2 could have come from Tannnauser or even Parsifal. Yet elsewhere there was delightlful lighthearted music for the village scenes which could almost have come from The Bartered Bride. There were moments of verismo and the big tune in the overture (reprised later in the opera) seemed almost a straight lift from Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty. But all of these elements do come together to make an entertaining and dramatic work. Tastes change and the music associted with the Evalgelist – complete with children’s choir – now seems over-sentimental and indeed almost kitch. Perhaps it could still work in a sympathetic production but somehow I doubt it,

This is the last in this group of German operas , where I have tried to follow almost a century of development. What is striking is how little 19^th century German opera has remained in the repertory. Wagner casts an enormous shadow. In fact the only non-Wagner operas from the 19^th century which are still part of the standard repertoire are Hansel and Gretel and Fidelio,

So for the next part of this project I will be looking at some of the operas which form the background to Fidelio.

Taneyev Oresteia

 Opera no 43

Taneyev The Oresteia

After a couple of shorter Russian operas back to something on a much larger scale. This was a hugely impressive piece, perhaps the most impressive in this series of Russian operas. It is full scale work full of big set pieces, lyrical passages and real excitement. Indeed at times the number of climaxes piling up one after another became a bit overwhelming. The music style was eclectic. It was obviously Russian but there were plenty of sections which were clearly related to French and Italian models and some Wagnerian overtones. There was even a passage near the beginning that heard cold I would have identified as Elgar!

The end of the opera was particularly exciting - a big choral climax which rang in the ears long after it was over. Altogether this was a memorable experience and one which makes me eager to hear more of Taneyev’s music - unfortunately this was his only opera.

This is the last in this short series of Russian operas. It has been fascinating. We know so little of the 19th century Russian operatic repertory - basically Boris and Eugene Onegin - that almost everything else comes as a surprise. It also shows that the work of the lesser known composers is capable of vying with the major figures - in fact the only real disappointment in this group was the Tchaikovsky.

The next phase in this project will be very different - I will be exploring some of the very earliest operas - a repertoire which is almost completely unknown to me.