Hans Pfitzner: Das Christelflein

Andreas Hörl (Performer), Hans Pfitzner (Composer), Claus Peter Flor (Conductor), Munich Radio Orchestra (Orchestra), Marlis Petersen (Performer), Martina Ruping (Performer), Christian Bauer (Performer), Kevin Connors (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Andreas Hörl, Marlis Petersen, Martina Ruping, Christian Bauer, Kevin Connors
• Orchestra: Munich Radio Orchestra
• Conductor: Claus Peter Flor
• Composer: Hans Pfitzner
• Audio CD (November 15, 2005)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Cpo Records
• ASIN: B000BK53AQ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #469,144 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not For Everyone, but Beautifully Performed, December 14, 2005

By 

J Scott Morrison (Middlebury VT, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hans Pfitzner: Das Christelflein (Audio CD)

There are several things militating against this lovely recording of Hans Pfitzner's Christmas fairy-tale opera, Das Christelflein. There is a previous recording with Helen Donath and Claes Ahnsjo that is presented better, complete with libretto, which is missing from this issue. That recording is out of print but can be found with a little persistence. Further, the story of the opera is an awkward mishmash of German nature worship and Christian observance of Christmas as both a religious and a family holiday. And, finally, there is more than a whiff of German nationalism that makes the opera a bit difficult to export to other countries.

On the plus side, though, is the marvelous musical performance on this 2CD set. Claus Peter Flor leads the Munich Radio Orchestra, the T'ölzer Knabenchor, and a cast of virtually unknown but musically excellent singers in a sparkling performance. There is a fairly detailed synopsis included in the booklet, but a libretto would have been a much better solution for those who don't understand German. Even more, there is considerable narration (and, at one point, melodrama [spoken text over a musical passage]), in German, between the musical numbers, done beautifully by Andrea Sokol, but of course it is so much gibberish for non-German-speaking listeners.

The music is rather along the lines of Humperdinck's H'änsel and Gretel in the use of Wagnerian harmonies and leitmotivs and like Humperdinck Pfitzner includes what sounds like folk-music. In fact the composer cleverly includes an altered quotation of 'O Tannenbaum' at a moment when one of the main characters, The Old Fir Tree, rallies the other trees in the forest to resist being cut down for use as Christmas trees.

The plot is rather mawkish with such things as a dying girl, Trautchen, being cured by the Christ Child, the Christmas Elf getting an immortal soul in Heaven and being allowed to return to Earth every Christmas and, further straining credibility in a sop to German nature worship, all the Christmas trees being granted eternal life by ascending into Heaven after they are cut down for the holiday.

This is terrific Pfitzner music, though, and indeed the ten-minute overture, the children's hymn and the angelic choruses are real treasures. One can, of course, program one's CD player so that it plays only the musical passages, which are really quite gorgeous. But that seems rather a shame as one misses much of what is going on.

2 CDs; TT=96:20

Scott Morrison

4.0 out of 5 stars Quite endearing, really, February 6, 2011

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G.D. (Norway) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hans Pfitzner: Das Christelflein (Audio CD)

Das Christelflein is not entirely typical Pfitzner, even though it does display many of his virtues as a composer. It started out as incidental music but was turned into an opera with added dialogue in 1917. The story is an absolutely syrupy, heart-on-sleeve Christmas story involving the Christ Child, a Christmas Elf, Father Christmas, the Old Fir Tree, Angels, lots of children (including a sick and dying child on Christmas Eve), Christmas miracles and magic and a ridiculously over-the-top happy Christmas ending. You know the kind of story, the kind of ridiculously sweet Christmas story that is construed to pull every heartstring and leave no handkerchief dry at the end. So yes, it is way over the top in that respect, but I guess one is allowed to indulge in this kind of thing at Christmas - if you just grant the premise for the work, it is actually a gorgeous score, highly atmospheric and even rather rewarding musically.

It starts with a long overture (11 minutes) full of wonderful wind writing and attractive themes (especially the somewhat darker second section). The music throughout contains touches of all the big romantic composers; Wagner is present throughout, even though Pfitzner lightens it up and makes the textures airier - Humperdinck is clearly the main influence, however. There are folksy parts as well, all used to realize sweetness and tenderness and a Christmas atmosphere. The music is generally rather simple (though some of the woodwind writing is not), and the vocal writing doesn't really pose any big technical challenges to the singers.The choral scenes are utterly wonderful, however, many of the themes are genuinely memorable, and Pfitzner's scoring is as usual highly effective.

Now, the singing requires a certain ability to color the lines and at the same time avoiding exaggerating the characterizations. The soloists here do very well. Marlis Petersen sings effortlessly, with disarming simplicity and charisma and - not the least - beauty of tone. Martina Rüping also does a very convincing job as the Christ child, and the tenors Kevin Connors and Christian Bauer, as well as Michael Volle, are thoroughly satisfying. Andrea Sokol has the whole narrative role and I have no complaints about her either. The orchestral and choral contributions are superb, and Claus Peter Flor should be commended for putting all the atmosphere and tenderness in there while at the same time avoiding oversugaring it (as far as that is possible to avoid). The recorded sound is very good - the serious drawback with this release, and one that potential purchasers should be aware of, is the lack of translations in the booklet. If that does not bother you too much, this set should provide much enjoyment at Christmas time (but be aware that the work never tries to play down the sentimentality or rosiness).