Customer Reviews

Die Toten Augen - Complete Opera

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
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2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this set on the strength of a review, having never previously heard a note of d'Albert's music. It blew me away!! It perfectly represents that period in European music in which all the musical threads of Europe started to weave together into a heady mix of "ultra-romanticism". One can easily hear in "Toten Augen" the Wagner of Parsifal, the harmonies of Strauss, Debussian Impressionism, and the emotional punch of Puccini's verismo. Yet, despite it's diverse origins, it's idiom is direct and appealing, and my guess is that it would be far easier to perform than anything by Wagner or Strauss. The story is a real fin-de-siecle barnburner, and it's a mystery to me why opera companies world wide aren't rushing out to put this little jewel on their stages. Here's to musical syncretism!

Eugen d'Albert's Tiefland may still survive at the fringes of the repertoire. His second most famous opera, Die Toten Augen, does not, even though some excerpts have been recorded as part of recitals (indeed, there is another recording of this work on Myto, which I have not heard). D'Albert's other operas seem to be more or less completely lost even though a recording of Die Abreise exists. In terms of musical quality, Die Toten Augen may, however, pip Tieflnd to the post, although I can see why opera companies would prefer the latter. Die Toten Augen is a Wagnerian (or even Straussian) score, opulently scored and with a mystical (sometimes ecstatic) atmosphere. The setting is Jerusalem on Palm Sunday; blind Myrtocle lives with her ugly husband Arcesius but is secretly loved by Galba. When Jesus passes through, Myrtocle's blindness is cured, she mistakes Galba for her husband and Arcesius kills Galba in a fit of rage, whereupon Myrtocle stares into the sun until she goes blind again. A pretty grisly though undeniably effective tale, and the music is quite haunting with a wealth memorable passages and thrilling climaxes. I honestly cannot see why it should fail to do pretty well on stage even today.

The performances are overall good. Dagmar Schellenberger has no problems navigating the technical demands and if her voice is sometimes a little edgy it is mostly thoroughly beautiful and radiant - this is, make no mistake, a really strong performance and suggests that Schellenberger would succeed very well in major roles in famous operas at big opera houses. Hartmut Welker does a fine job of Arcesius, and Lothar Odinus is superb as the shepherd. Although Norbert Orth's Galba is more dramatically effective than beautifully sung the result is quite effective. The other, relatively minor characters are all very satisfyingly done. The Dresdner Philharmonic's performances are spirited, lush and colorful, and Ralf Weikert secures a well-paced, dramatically intense performance. Perhaps this is, overall, a fascinating work more than a masterpiece, but it is surely worth the time and outlay - it is strongly recommended, even - for anyone who appreciates late romantic Wagnerian opera. Maybe five stars instead of four reflects my appreciation of taking on this kind of project more than the opera itself, but I think I can defend it.