Eugene d’ALBERT (1864-1932)
Tiefland - Opera in a Prelude and Two Acts [133:17]
Heinz Hoppe (tenor), Hanne-Lore Kuhse (soprano), Ernst Gutstein (baritone), Theo Adam (bass)
Chor der Staatsoper Dresden & Staatskapelle Dresden, cond. Paul Schmitz
Rec. 1963, Lukaskirche, Dresden, East Germany.
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 95114 [2 CDs: 133:17]
Eugen d’Albert, now remembered mainly as a great pianist, was a prolific composer, not least of 22 operas, of which Tiefland (“The Lowlands”) is the only one that still (just) holds the stage, at least in Austria and Germany. Tiefland tells the story of Marta, a poor young woman who is the mistress of the local landowner Lord Sebastiano. Sebastiano has money troubles, so is about to marry an heiress, and thus needs to expunge the local notoriety associated with keeping a mistress. He plans to have Marta marry his naïve shepherd Pedro, so that she can live nearby and still serve as his mistress. However, his plan fails when Marta and Pedro actually fall in love, and Sebastiano’s manipulation is revealed. The opera ends in a physical struggle in which Pedro strangles Sebastiano, and then escapes with Marta up into his beloved mountains, and away from the corrupting lowlands.
D’Albert’s opera is based on a play by the Spaniard Àngel Guimerà, Terra baixa, which contrasts the immoral atmosphere of the lowlands with the purity and innocence of the sparsely populated mountains. D’Albert’s work deploys lyrical and pastoral local colour to enhance the sense of rural community, and there are several well-drawn minor characters, such that the lowlands almost resembles the borough of Britten’s Peter Grimes. His pastoral mode, heard in the orchestral opening and four scenes of the Prelude set in the mountains, is especially effective. He has his Wagnerian side, too, especially in Act 1 scene 4, when Marta haunted by her cruel, trapped situation, reflects that she would be better off “free in death”, when of course the harmony recalls Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde. But as the work progresses and passions rise, it is clearer that the main influence is the contemporary verismo style of such as Pietro Mascagni. There are some striking orchestral touches along the way, and some fine vocal writing. At the very least, D’Albert was a skilled craftsman for the operatic stage.
Brilliant Classics here re-issues an impressive 1963 recording of the work, with a very capable cast. Heinz Hoppe as Pedro sounds near ideal, his lyrical manner and pleasing tone making his character both young sounding and appealing. But there is also some steel in his voice when tension rises, and his account of the time he killed a wolf would surely persuade the lowlanders that he might not be the simple fool they first laugh at. He is very well matched by the Marta of Hanne-Lore Kuhse, whose soprano has an edge which never becomes harsh, but rather suits her part, dominated as it is by regret, and frequent outbursts at her misfortune. Her Act 2 scene 4 autobiographical narration is a fine piece of vocal acting, making her rather more than the downtrodden female victim of template verismo operas. Ernst Gutstein’s baritone is incisive, and he brings a frightening derision whenever he is opposed and thwarted. Theo Adam, in the sympathetic role of Tommasso, has a firmer centre to his voice than in some of his many later recordings. The secondary characters are well taken as well, especially the Nuri of Rosemarie Rönich. On balance, I doubt that a cast could easily be assembled today with such all-round excellence in their roles. Perhaps that was born of stage experience of those roles, since they form such a good ensemble. Paul Schmitz conducts the magnificent Dresden orchestra with a good sense of dramatic pacing. The sound is early 1960’s, and of the best sort that could be heard then, with a persuasive soundscape for a stage work, voices clear and well balanced. The booklet notes are serviceable, but too brief to be much more than that. There is a track listing but no libretto. As usual Brilliant’s website has a German and English libretto, but not in alignment on the same page, just the whole libretto first in German, than in English, with no track references linked to the CDs.
Roy Westbrook
Full cast list
Sebastiano, a wealthy landowner - ERNST GUTSTEIN
Pedro, a shepherd - HEINZ HOPPE
Marta, in Sebastiano’s service - HANNE-LORE KUHSE
Tommaso, the village elder - THEO ADAM
Moruccio, a miller - GÜNTHER LEIB
Nuri, in Sebastiano’s service - ROSEMARIE RÖNISCH
Pepa, in Sebastiano’s service - INGEBORG WENGLOR
Antonia, in Sebastiano’s service - JOLA KOZIEL
Rosalia, in Sebastiano’s service - GERTRAUD PRENZLOW
Nando, a shepherd - HARALD NEUKIRCH
Voice of a farmer - SIEGFRIED VOGEL
