Weber - Oberon / van der Walt, Nielsen, Seiffert, Kasarova, Skovhus, Paulsen; Janowski

Carl Maria von Weber (Performer), Marek Janowski (Performer), Deon van der Walt (Performer), Inga Nielsen (Artist), Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (Artist), Peter Seiffert (Artist), Vesselina Kasarova (Artist), Bo Skovhus (Artist), Melinda Paulsen (Artist)

Product Details

• Performer: Carl Maria von Weber, Marek Janowski, Deon van der Walt
• Audio CD (November 11, 1997)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000003G39
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #353,810 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Musically and in its plot and atmosphere, Oberon owes something to Mozart's Magic Flute. But Mozart's crazy mixed-up masterpiece ventures just inside the borders of Romanticism. The last opera of Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826) goes deeply into Romantic atmosphere and mystique. Its rather disjointed but colorful libretto magically takes a medieval French knight (tenor Peter Seiffert) and the Caliph of Baghdad's daughter (soprano Inga Nielsen) through a series of trials (shipwreck on a desert island, capture by pirates, enslavement, and sexual harassment) to test the strength of their love. The music is magnificent, looking ahead to Wagner as well as back to Mozart. Conductor Marek Janowski does it full justice, uses a better edition than his chief rival on records, Kubelik, and has a first-class cast. --Joe McLellan

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best version of Weber's most problematic opera, December 17, 1999

By A Customer

While Freischutz has drama and movement, and Euryanthe a pre-Lohengrin fascination (its only recording is also by Janowski, starring Jessye Norman, Rita Hunter and Nicolai Gedda), Oberon presents problems. It's really a pastiche, long on dull dialogue trying to glue a series of numbers together. Some numbers are wonderful, notably "Ozean, du Ungeheuger,"that cavallo di battaglia of big, big sopranos taking time out from their Brunnhildes (Eileen Farrell and Birgit Nilsson -- who recorded the entire role -- both have versions). But Inge Nielsen (who recently released an impressive Salome)does perfectly fine, thanks, and in a voice no doubt closer to what Weber was composing for. Deon van der Walt is a thrilling young tenor, and Janowski -- a truly underrated conductor (as is Muti) -- does wonders with the score. If you like German opera from this era, pick it up (and if you can find it, pick up Marschner's Hans Heiling, too).

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential early Romanticism!, August 9, 1999

By A Customer

If you like romantic German music from the 19th century (and, since you looked up this item, you surely must), this an essential link between the Beethoven era and the Wagner era. Buy Weber's "Der Freischutz" first - Kleiber's version - but then purchase this delectable performance of an opera that deserves further exploration.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wait for DGG, October 13, 2004

By	Canzone (California) - See all my reviews

This is an OK recording, but I don't think it really does justice to what is admittedly a problematic score (and an even more problematic libretto). Although not yet released as of this writing, I think the DGG Kubelik/Nilsson/Domingo recording has more to offer vocally than this one. I don't agree that Inge Nielsen does "just fine" - rather more like "just OK." I'm not Nilsson's biggest fan, but she really carries the vocal demands better than Nielsen. And Domingo is fine too. Compare the two recordings if you can find a copy of the Kubelik - it's worth the time.