Engelbert HUMPERDINCK (1854 – 1921)
Dornröschen (1902)
Brigitte Fassbaender (spoken role) – Dämonia; Christina Landshamer (soprano)
– Rosa; Kristiane Kaiser (soprano) – Röschen; Stephanie Hampl (alto) – Morphina;
Tobias Haaks (tenor) – Reinhold; Anna Borchers (soprano) – Quecksilber / Eine
Winde; Miriam Clark (soprano) – Die Sonne; Brigitte Bayer (soprano) – Ein
Vergissmeinnicht; Guibee Yang (soprano) – Eine Rose; Wolfgang Klose (bass)
– Vogt des Ahnenschlosses; Jerzy May (spoken ole) – Ringold/Mond; Barbara
Malisch (spoken role) – Armgart
Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Münchner Rundfunkorchester/Ulf Schirmer
rec. live, Prinzregententheater, Munich, 14 December 2008
libretto with English translation enclosed
CPO 777 510-2 [40:06 + 50:03] 
To most general music-listeners Engelbert Humperdinck is synonymous with Hänsel
und Gretel. In fact, he wrote a number of other stage works of which Königskinder,
at least occasionally, has an outing. It was played five times in Zurich
in February last year (2010).
Dornröschen (Sleeping Beauty), based on Perrault and the Brothers Grimm
but with some added ingredients, isn’t strictly speaking an opera. ‘Fairytale
in a prelude and three acts’ it is labelled and it consists of a fair amount
of spoken dialogue interspersed with musical numbers, many of them very brief,
even fragmentary. The weakest point is the libretto and Humperdinck allegedly
wasn’t very keen on setting it but finally succumbed.
There are several quite substantial orchestral pieces and Humperdinck put
together an orchestral suite of some of them, even before the premiere of
the ‘opera’. He was a splendid orchestrator and melodist –influenced by Wagner,
but less so here than in Hänsel und Gretel. The overture with
a beautiful horn solo is a catchy piece, almost seven minutes long. There
is also a ballad that opens the second act and a very good Irrfahrten.
The chorus also have grateful music to execute, for instance the melodious
Versuchung (CD 2 tr. 21). As in Hänsel und Gretel there
are many references to folk-songs, not least Dornröschens Bild (CD
2 tr. 6) in ¾-time. There is enough attractive music throughout to enjoy this
work without bothering very much about the plot. A problem arises here for
non-German speakers, since the libretto in the booklet only prints the sung
texts but not the spoken dialogue. With some knowledge of German and the synopsis
at hand one can still get the gist of the story and the diction of the speaking
roles is very clear. In particular Brigitte Fassbaender as Dämonia, the
evil fairy, is just as articulate and expressive as we remember her from her
singing career. She radiates evil in every phrase.
Ulf Schirmer, who has recorded several operatic rarities for CPO, has obviously
taken this music to his heart and his Munich forces assist him admirably.
Apart from a rather shaky contralto as Morphina the solo singing is excellent.
Kristiane Kaiser as Röschen has a crystal-clear, very beautiful soprano and
Tobias Haaks sings well as Reinhold. The live recording is splendid.
Hänsel und Gretel is a much better work but the music in Dornröschen
is mostly fresh and melodious and well worth hearing, even though the story
in itself is only mildly interesting.
Göran Forsling
This live recording is splendid and the music is mostly fresh and melodious
and well worth hearing.