If I were castaway on a desert island with just five recordings of songs
from operettas, I would have to choose the hit number from Act 1 of Der
Vogelhändler, 'Schenkt man sich Rosen in Tirol' sung by the characters
Archduchess Marie and Adam with chorus. It is sublime. While the
Habermann/Reinthaller/Bibl team are affecting enough, they just fail to reach
the heights of the 1970 Walter Weller/Pilar Lorengar version on Decca.
Carl Zeller ranks amongst the great masters of classic Viennese operetta
along with Johann Strauss, Lehár, Suppé and Millöcker.
His popular melodies are very much folk-song like and, of course, many of
them are polkas, marches or waltzes. Zeller's main occupation was as an
administrator at the Imperial Ministry of Education. Composition was more
of a hobby and he composed songs and choral works before his first great
stage success in 1876 with the comic opera Jaconde. Der
Vogelhändler (The Bird Seller) was premiered at the Theatre an der
Wein on January 10th 1891.
While the enterprise of budget-price Arte Nova cannot be denied, the frugality
of their packaging leaves much to be desired. Well, you can't have everything.
The 8-page booklet, when it comes to trying to understand the story (there
is no libretto) is not very helpful. The booklet does not give the singers'
register and it gives different spellings of the conductor's Christian name!
On the back cover there is printed the cast list as above and yet the booklet
notes speak of a prince and princess. All very confusing. Anyway, not that
it really matters very much, but the story of Der Vogelhändler
is set in a Palatine village on the Rhine in the 18th century.
The peasants are ordered to provide a boar hunt for the aristocracy and an
honourable virgin for their leader (prince or baron?). But they can only
rustle up a tame pig and a widow. Then they call the hunt off and as if that
wasn't enough the master of the hunt refuses to return the money and then
passes his nephew as … well, somebody or other important. Into this
stew comes Adam the Bird Seller from the Tyrol to claim his fiancée
(or bride according to which part of the booklet you read), Christel, the
postmistress. Confusions galore ensue until everything is sorted out at the
end and Adam and Christel leave for the Tyrol.
But just forget the story and enjoy the bright and breezy, tuneful music.
The live recording has great presence and spontaneity. The singers are all
good. Habermann, as Marie, is an attractive mezzo-soprano merry and enthusiastic
in 'Schnell, kommt nur alle' and affecting in both 'Schenkt man sich Rosen'
and in the quietly introspective 'Als geblüht der Kirshenbaum'. The
two tenors impressive strongly. Reinthaller (Adam), a light yet virile tenor
has laughter in his voice as he sings the tongue-tripping 'Gruss enk Gott'
with its sly bird twitterings in the orchestra, especially the cuckoo calls!
Schneider (as Lord Stanislaus) is a slightly more oaken tenor and cuts a
fine romantic dash; his ardent Act II duet with Birgid Steinberger (as Christel)
is another of the operetta's highlights. Steinberger is a charming Christel
- she has a beautiful lyric soprano voice splendidly controlled and her phrasing
is like honey. Her Act I aria, 'Ich bin die Christel von der Post' is a delight.
Comedy is supplied by Muckenstrunz and Bamshabel in a brief patter song,
'Ich bin der Prodekon'.
If you like Lehár's The Merry Widow, you will love this sparkling
operetta, full of good lively tunes. A treat.
Ian Lace
ARTE NOVA 74321 58970 2
[79:49]
