Schubert’s Operas

This is the 200th anniversary of Schubert’s birth. The major record magazines are pulling out all the stops, or maybe I should say almost all the stops. BBC “Music Magazine” for March 1997 has “Schubert at 200” with seven essays about Schubert, his life, work. and music. Gramophone for April has Franz Schubert 1797-1997 a survey. Neither yet has touched the operas. Let this be my contribution although I’m sure some magazine or newspaper will cover the operas sooner or later. They wi]) surely do a better job because I only know two of the operas “Alfonso and Estrella” and “Fierrabras.” By the time this is published I will probably own and know “Der Hausliche Kneg” (Der Versch Worenen); both Gramophone and BBC music have reviewed that opera. However, most of Schubert’s work for the theater was unfinished, just like the famous symphony, and some of the finished works are lighter singspiels. In other words the three works covered here are just about it for opera, even “Der Hausliche Kneg” is a singspiel. ”.Alfonso and Estrella” and “Fierrabras” are really the only major completed operas.

One of the cliches of the opera world is that there were and are two majors that are strictly minors in the world of opera. That is Haydn and Schubert. Of course, there is another major who  is a non-entity (or more properly a non-entry); Brahms never wrote an opera. Coincidentally, in writing this article I saw that the Sunday Times featured Vienna in it’s “What’s doing in Vienna” (or featured city) column and the “Vienna Festival” in it’s survey of European festivals. Under sightseeing the Times says that Brahms and Schubert are buried almost side by side in Vienna’s central cemetery. Gluck, Beethoven, the Strausses, Wolf and Schoenberg are buried there, but not Haydn. The Vienna festival will perform “Alfonso and Estrella” and Schubert’s first opera/singspiel . “Des Teufels Lustschloss.” Schubert, who only lived to be 31 did not obtain much certainly, none of the operas succeeded, but 169 years too late the world will honor Schubert. Evidently the Vienna Festival will do it with the operas.

Let’s get back to Haydn because his opera experience(s) are somewhat similar and relevant to Schubert. Most commentators agree that neither Haydn nor Schubert found a meaningful Libretto. However, Haydn lived to be 77, and his operas encompass 10 C.D.s which have been issued in a boxed set. As soon as they are remaindered or shifted  to a budget label I will pounce. In addition Haydn’s late opera “Orfeo and Euridyce” with Bartoli and Heilmann conduct ed by Hogwood has just been issued on C.D. I own that. The point is that Antal Dorati, the conductor on the 10 C.D. set, has done Haydn more than justice with all star casts. I have seen two of the Haydn operas, and they lack dramatic appeal. They are, for want of a better word, cute. The music is beautiful.

The Schubert problem is similar, but not exact. If Schubert had lived a full life like Haydn perhaps he would’ve developed and/or found an ideal libretto. Haydn was famous for a quote he made about his and Mozart’s operas. Paraphrasing Haydn said that   he lived in the country and thus lacked the sophistication of Mozart who lived in the city. He further stated that if it’s opera you want go to Mozart. Haydn was always gracious, probably more so than any other composer of equal genius. He was also correct. But Schubert lived in the city; he knew it’s joys and horrors. Schubert may have lacked some graces. but he was not unsophisticated. Maurice Brown writing about Schubert in Groves reminds us that Schubert was the only Viennese master native to the city. If Schubert was a failure an opera composer time might have rectified the situation. Schubert was not given time, and he’ll have to be content as the king of song.

Now if failure for both Schubert and Haydn is in the libretto than the record or C.D. should be the ideal way to hear their work. Don’t even learn the stories! Just plop in the C.D.s especially if you have a carousel, but be forewarned that the truly great opera composers, Mozan, Verdi, Wagner, and Handel can and do write the drama right into the music. Here too both Haydn and Schubert will somewhat disappoint. Then again music can be very beautiful without being dramatic. My first contact with Schubert’s operas was in 1978 when Angel issued “Alfonso and Estrella.” My Schwan doesn’t list it, but I’m sure it has been reissued on C.D. I have records. The cast is extraordinary with Hermann Prey, Edith Mathis. Theo Adam, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Peter Schrier, and the Berlin Radio Choir, Berlin Staatskapelle conducted by Otmar Suitner. I mean they could sing scales and you’d get your money’s worth.

0.K. what did Schubert know when he composed his operas? Well in the first place he studied with Salieri. He knew cherubini, and Mozart had already composed the opera/singspiel “Magic Flute” and he knew Weber’s “Freischutz” considered the first German opera, and Beethoven’s “Fideho” was current. Schubert had a problem similar to Beethoven. Vienna was Rossini crazy. The Barber held the city in thrall. There really wasn’t a great demand for German Opera. That made it impossible to get his operas produced. Schubert himself was an avid operagoer and he loved Rossini. Walther Durr in the booklet for “Alfonso and Estrella” says that Schubert held this opera in. high esteem. He felt it was his most successful. It was submitted to the Kartner Tor Theater, Vienna, but never performed. He tried to have Weber intercede for him in Dresden. He tried to have the famous singer, Anna Milder Hauptman intercede in Berlin. All in vain. It was performed by Liszt in Wiemar in 1854. Schubert was dead some 26 years. The opera deals with love, a throne, and magic. It’s not much different plotwise from other operas of the period. It can be called a fairy tale, yet it lacks the force of “Freischutz,” or the humanism of a “Fideho.” Still it is beautiful on it’s own terms. There is no spoken dialogue, and if you’ve followed this column, that’s all to the good. I can live without spoken dialogue whether it be in “Freischutz” or “Carmen.” The one thing it is musically is accessible. You will have no trouble getting used to the music. Whatever Schubert was, he was not an innovator, and this is especially true of the operas. Schubert said it was his best.

“Fierrabras” was issued on C.D. in pure digital sound (DOD) in I 990. With all due respect to Schubert I find the two operas about equal. Once again you have an unbelievable cast. Karita Matila, Robert Gambill, Thomas Hampson, Peter Hoffmann, Rort Holl and Josef Protschka with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe conducted by Claudio Abbado. Karita Matila bowled me over when I saw her as Eva at the Met in “Die Meistersinger.” I’ve been in love with the woman ever since. Interestingly, she recorded the role for Solti. I saw one review that said she wasn’t mature enough for the role and one review that said she was too mature. Oh well! you can’t please them all. She will please you on “Fierrabras.” Thomas Hampson is a personal favorite of mine. We are now in period rich in baritones, but Hampson varies his repertoire from opera to song, and Schubert to Broadway. I have his Cole Porter disc. What other operatic baritone has sung the Yale fight song “Bulldog, Bulldog.” The recording is live, but the audience is not (too) intrusive: Claudio Abbado keeps the whole thing moving. The story involves Charlemagne and the Frankish knights versus the Moors with everyone in love with members of the opposite sex, but also in the opposite religion.

If I had to pick between “Fierrabras” and “Alfonso and Estrella” I’d opt for “Alfonso and Estrella” only because as good as the “Fierabras” cast is the “Alfonso and Estrella” cast is better. However, why torture yourself buy both. Before getting to “Der Hausliche Kneg” let’s just digress to go over one of the seven articles from BBC “Music.” Richard Wigmore writes about Schubert “Surface calm violence within” wherein he demolishes the theory of the “complaisant,” happy go lucky Bohemian generously scribbling melodies on the back of menus. When Schubert drank he could be become violent even with admirers. He’d suddenly burst out with exclamation more akin to Muhammad Ali’s “I am the greatest.” He’d add that the admirers were worms who ought to be crushed under his foot. He’d throw the glasses and the plates. What’s so sad is that one part of him probably did know his own worth, but he had to get drunk to express it, and then at someone else’s expense. He was the greatest, but he probably didn’t believe it or he wouldn’t have had to get drunk and humiliate others. How sad!

Stephen Maddock in BBC “Music” says:” Schubert’s operas have received bad press over the years, as much on account of their theatrical shortcomings as any lack of musical quality.” This time, or so he says, as to “Der Hausliche Kneg” Schubert had a good libretto about a medieval war of the sexes. Like Aristophanes “Lysistrata” the women withdraw their favors to keep the men from going off to the crusades. He says the opera/singspiel won’t grace the stage of the Met or Covent Garden, but somebody ought to stage it in this bicentenary year. He calls the protagonists Peter Lika, and Soile Isokowski. international class and praises Christoph Spering’s conducting. The same Richard Wigmore of Schubert’s “violence” reviewing the piece for the Gramophone calls it dramatically Schubert’s best. Happily he says the spoken dialogue is omitted, and unfortunately it is also omitted from the book. He concludes: “warmly recommended to anyone who fancies an hour of mature Schubert at his most debonair and convivial.” We can sort of transpose that to the full five C.D.s it will take you to own all that’s available of the Schubert operas. Happy birthday Franz; let’s celebrate it by learning the operas.