Customer Reviews

Der Stein der Weisen (The Philosopher's Stone) by Mozart, Hennebert, Schack, Gerl, Schikaneder / Pearlman, Boston Baroque

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The story of how a 1790 Singspiel was returned by Russia to the west and how certain annotations therein astounded musicologists is well told in the booklet that accompanies the new Telarc release of <Der Steinder Weisen (The Philosopher's Stone)> (CD-80508). When I tell you the libretto is by Emanuel Schikaneder, you might recognize his name from "Amadeus" as the owner of the theater in which was performed his libretto for "The Magic Flute" when he also sang the role of Papageno. When I name the committee of composers he hired to help him compose the music in the shortest possible time--Henneberg, Schack, Gerl, Mozart--you might be startled by the last name. You see, the score was lost since the end of World War II when Soviet soldiers carried it back as part of their loot, and it had written in it the names of the composers of certain of the arias, duets, and so on. Well, Mozart's name shows up three times! But that is no reason to go running to purchase this recreation with Martin Pearlman conducting the Boston Baroque and soloists. There is a third CD given as bonus in which the conductor gives a marvelous comparison between this work and "Magic Flute" which came out only a year later, which might tempt you more to make the purchase. I might point out that this work gives fascinating insight into what the public demanded and got during Mozart's lifetime and is therefore invaluable to students of music and the theater--all of which of the above should have you thinking of owning a set. But when I pronounce the work a thing of joy in its own right--you would never guess the circumstances of how it was composed--then you should all wish to give this Telarc recording a hearing right quick. The singers range from more than adequate to quite good. What I miss personally is a lack of drama in the singing. Alan Ewing is Eutifronte, evil god of the underworld, but he sounds no more menacing than Monastros in "Flute." Kurt Streit is Astromonte, a beneficent god, but his singing is not majestic enough. The two main lovers, Paul Austin Kelly and Judith Lovat, are as bland as their later reincarnations, Tamino and Pamina. There is a lot of fun in the rustic goings on of Kevin Davis and Jane Giering De Haan as the spouses Lubano and Lubanara; but again there is not quite enough colorful characterization. The chorus, especially the men (whose Hunting Chorus is quite good), given the non-dramatic lines they have to sing, is exemplary. The Telarc sound is, as always, splendid. By the by, I must report that by far the most inferior song in the piece is one of the three attributed to -- you know whom! But it does anticipate the Cat Duet of Rossini and the Fly Duet in "Orpheus in the Underworld" many decades later. The silly plot also foreshadows equally silly scenarios to such works as "Oberon" and just possibly "Ruddigore," but we can never be certain how such a work was meant to be taken by the audiences of the time. I suppose Oscar Wilde's Miss Prism said it all when she said that when the good end happy and the bad unhappy that is what fiction means! Truly a fascinating offering from Telarc.

I have not liked an opera this much, since well- Die Zauberflote! What a perfect opera to rank along with Le nozze di Figaro, Cosi fan tutte, Don Giovanni, and Die Zauberflote as one of my favorite operas!

I bought it ONLY because it bore the name Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and had that name not been on there this would have been a huge loss. The entire opera is WONDERFUL. Yes the 1 hour and 50 minutes of music that Mozart didn't write is sublime and WONDERFUL!

I can't rave enough. If you love GREAT music- get this....

The duet done by Mozart is wonderful as well!

While I generally agree with the other reviewers of this disc, I would like to add that, for anyone who is fascinated and intrigued by Mozart's Magic Flute, this disc is essential listening. The parallel characters and similar plot motifs (and similar musical motifs, even between the Magic Flute and the non-Mozart music in Der Stein der Weisen) shed light on the fairy-tale elements of Mozart's opera so as to balance out the notion that The Magic Flute sprang up entirely from Mozart's and Schikaneder's Masonic ideas.

I also suspect that there is somewhat more of Mozart's music in this piece than the press reviewer counts. I interpret the attribution column of the liner notes to say that Mozart wrote much of the second-act finale, and, while I am no musicologist, the segments of that finale seem to build in the way that a Mozart finale does. Still, if you listen to The Magic Flute only because of the grandeur of the music and are really put off by the plot, this singspiel will only annoy you further, since Mozart was using his considerable talents here simply in support of yet another bizarre fairy tale.

I would be a bit more generous to the singers than some of the other reviewers. I enjoyed listening to all the performances and felt that the characters, such as they were (there is a good deal of fairy and folk tale formula here), were brought to life successfully. The orchestra of authentic instruments under Martin Pearlman always sounds good to me. There were never any moments when I felt I was putting up with an inferior performance simply because it was the only performance available.

This is a German singspiel, composed by a variety of late 18th century Viennese composers, including Mozart, for theatrical entertainment. It is good fun and entertaining, though it really contains no stunning pieces or enriching music. Mozart's contributions are jolly, but they are not profound or dramatic music of the sort which makes the Magic Flute a towering masterpiece. Instead, the work is more a demonstration of how much pleasurable vocal work was being written at the end of the 18th century and how much richer we are for being able to delve into it in first class recordings.

The performance here is excellent, making for a most enjoyable set. There are no outstanding voices, nor should there be, and the Boston Baroque ensemble sounds just right. The only real weakness is that, as with all singspiels, there are long bits of German dialogue which do not make rewarding listening on repeated hearings or if one is not fluent in German.

Don't get this set because it has bits by Mozart -- they are only a small fraction of the music and they are far from being his best work -- but because its a pleasant and enlightening set. But it's not for people who would not consider buying operas by Salieri, Cimarosa, etc., but only go for the big names.

After looking at the other reviews, I thought that they had said it all, and said it well. But since there are only four, I thought I would chime in.

While similar to Die Zauberflote in many ways (which should be enough of a recommendation to many), this is an excellent example of singspiel complete with comedy, drama, romance and touches of the supernatural. The sound is excellent, the performances solid, and it really is a fine opera in its own right. The adorable 'cat' duet betwen Lubano and Lubanara is almost worth the price by itself, in my opinion, but there's much more to it than that.

As I mentioned, other reviewers have already said it all. I'll just add that it's all true. This production really is an accomplishment, and hopefully it will be recognized as a major work in years to come. In the meantime, be the first on your block to own it. You'll thank yourself for it later.

What can one say about a work by Mozart. It is devine.
Definitely lives up to its reputation of being the second Magic Flute. Full of wonderment, fantasy & characters.
Not only the music is superb but once again Schickeneder showed his brilliance as a libretist. The spoken dialogue paces just as vibrantly as the music.
I'm in heaven once again thanks to a wonderful man called Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Please listen and enjoy.

I agree with all the wonderful things previous reviewers have said about the music in Der Stein der Weisen and its performance by Boston Baroque and Company under the direction of Mr. Pearlman. I would add that Martin Pearlman's discussion on the bonus disc is worth the price of purchase. He discusses what is known of the work's history, the relationship between the collaborators, and key aspects of the music itself. Mr. Pearlman's comments are insightful and engaging, and the musical discussion is on a level to appeal to seasoned musicians, without leaving anyone else out. The whole production is a remarkable achievement.