Customer Reviews

Franz Schreker: Christophorus oder "Die Vision einer Oper"

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If you have let yourself be blown away by some of Schreker's earlier, gorgeously opulent, ragingly dramatic and hyper-romantic works (Der Ferne Klang or Irrelohe, perhaps), you may be in for a slight disappointment. This is pared down Schreker - the textures are relatively spare and chamber-like, and if you listen to it waiting for the music to rise to dizzying heights or for some orchestral thunder (and the music often sounds as if it is on the verge of doing that), you will wait in vain. That is not to say that Christophorus does not display Schreker's mastery of the orchestra; the scoring is absolutely fabulous; listen, for example to the flickering, strangely distorted fire music at the end of the first disc. But the point remains - this is not the Schreker you may suspect (and I would hate for anyone investigating the composer to make this opera their first stop).

The music is heavily chromatic, often atonal and more radical than in Schreker's more famous operas; there are few if any touches of Richard Strauss, Mahler, Zemlinsky or Pfitzner here. There is still some Wolf-style harmonic sequences, some early Schoenberg (and some later Schoenberg), but also touches of Hindemith and neo-classicism. The subject of Christophorus ("the vision of an opera") is, on the surface level, a composer writing an opera, although as with all of Schreker's operas, there are multiple layers of symbolism and existential drama. It is also a very difficult work on many levels, though it is ultimately quite rewarding.

The orchestral playing is generally superb, and Windfuhr paces the drama extremely well (indeed he seems to have a very sure grasp of the idiom), always retaining the dramatic nerve and sustaining the forward momentum. The soloists are somewhat variable - it is all very well sung, but none of the singers manage to dominate the scenes (but then again, they don't really get any traditional arias to accomplish it). So be warned: this is a work that requires a lot of work on the side of the listener, and nothing like Irrelohe or Die Gezeichneten; and while Schreker may not ultimately always be able to avoid tediousness, Christophorus remains a rewarding and deeply fascinating score. Recommended, though more for those who already know the composer or have a special fascination for German 1930s expressionism than to those who seek hyper-opulent late romanticism.

This later Schreker opera was never performed in the composer's lifetime -- and it shows. While probably of interest to the die-hard Schreker fan, it comes across as episodic, with the music and characters strangely unrealized. There are also a good deal more "modern" musical idioms in this opera than one hears in Schreker's other stage works.

I count myself a Schreker afficionado, yet I find this work difficult to love (or even like). There are so many other good operatic works of his that are more fulfilling on musical, storyline and stagecraft levels. My recommendation is to stick with Schreker's other operatic fare ... my two personal favorites are Die Gezeichneten ("The Branded Ones") and Irrelohe ("Crazy Fire").

Schreker dedicated this opera to Schönberg... You have great moments and som jazz and some dodecaphonic music also. Great!