Carl Maria von Weber’s
Singspiel "Abu Hassan" is
in need of a modern recording, and the
well-known conductor Bruno Weil has
come to the rescue. Past recordings
have been infrequent and generally of
thick textures that do not place the
work in its best light. Now we have
an esteemed conductor of baroque and
classical era music offering a period
instrument account with fine vocal singers
and chorus, all under the umbrella of
an historically informed approach.
It must be said that
the plot of "Abu Hassan" is
a silly one involving money-lenders,
immature adults who spend their way
into huge debt, and schemes of a most
unethical nature. Of course, it is all
in the name of fun and entertainment,
so the lack of ethical behavior actually
becomes a vehicle to enhance the comic
properties of the libretto. "Abu
Hassan" is very much in the opéra-comique
tradition, and Weber noted its primary
traits: "light-heartedness and
playful wit, pleasantly created by a
handful of pretty little situations".
Although the libretto
is not realistic, it does correspond
to financial troubles that Weber was
having at the time. He was working for
the Duke Ludwig Friedrich Alexander
von Württemberg with major responsibilities
including the handling of the Duke’s
finances in addition to teaching music
to the Duke’s children. As it happens,
the Duke was having financial woes of
his own, and his solution was to initiate
an illegal system where exemptions from
military service could be bought. Weber
attached himself to this scheme and
started siphoning money away from the
Duke’s purse in order to pay off his
debts. Eventually, the illegal activities
were brought to light, and Weber even
spent some time in jail. His ultimate
penalty was banishment from Württemberg.
Therefore, the "Abu Hassan"
story likely had some personal meaning
to Weber.
The plot revolves around
Abu Hassan and his slave-wife Fatime
who are spending money at an alarming
rate and building up colossal debt.
The couple, always under the protection
of the Caliph, works up a scheme to
get the debt reduced and even eliminated.
Since Omar, the Caliph’s money-lender,
has strong sexual desires for Fatime,
she and Abu Hassan plot to use this
desire to their advantage in a plan
that even has both of them pretending
death to achieve their goal. When all
is said and done, the Caliph forgives
the couple and admonishes Omar for his
greed.
Although Weber’s music
to the Singspiel does not possess the
creativity of his best works such as
the opera "Der Freischütz",
his score is entirely charming and full
of enthusiasm and the carefree life.
I should point out that one of the arias,
"Heir liegt", was added to
the work by Weber about ten years after
the premiere; this aria has a relatively
serious tone compared to the others
and is not a good fit with the general
mood of the work.
Earlier in the review,
I indicated my enthusiasm of a new recording
of "Abu Hassan" performed
by a period instrument orchestra. My
reasoning is not based on a desire for
every work of Weber’s time period to
be performed on period instruments,
but a realization that Weber’s light
music is not best served by a modern
orchestra where the textures could well
be heavy and detract from the score’s
inherent vitality and transparency.
Bruno Weil ensures
that the performance matches the emotional
content of Weber’s music. The Cappella
Coloniensis is an exceptional period
instrument band with crisp attack and
ensemble playing. Weil consistently
whips up the exhilaration and keeps
the musical arguments fresh and logical.
The vocal soloists do not include any
famous names unlike the 1970s Sawallisch
version on CPO featuring Nicolai Gedda,
Edda Moser, and Kurt Moll. However,
Weil’s soloists are excellent in their
own right and significantly enhance
the music’s appeal. Particularly fetching
is Johanna Stojkovic who gives Fatime
the youthful immaturity that is the
dominant aspect of her personality.
Essentially, Fatime doesn’t have a clue
what real life is about, and the Stojkovic
portrayal clearly conveys this naive
ignorance.
The disc has a very
substantial coupling in the form of
Weber’s Symphony No. 1; a four-movement
work lasting almost thirty minutes.
The music doesn’t have the Turkish flavor
of "Abu Hassan", but is similar;
being upbeat and vivacious. The sole
exception is the 2nd Movement
Andante, which is poignant without delving
deeply into the human spirit. For years
I have been smitten with the 3rd
Movement Scherzo’s exhilaration, and
the Symphony as a whole is loaded with
high energy. As in "Abu Hassan",
Weil and his forces present a sharply-etched
reading full of vitality and youthful
demonstration. The woodwinds are exceptional
in tone and projection, and Weil displays
an obvious affection for the music.
Any complaints? Yes,
but just one. There is a decided lack
of bass response that is most evident
in the purely instrumental music of
Symphony No. 1. I have another period
instrument recording of the Symphony
conducted by Roger Norrington on EMI
Classics. The EMI has a strongly projected
bass line giving the music an extra
dimension not found on the Weil performance.
Weil’s reading is still a rewarding
one, but the weak bass keeps it from
being the best recording of the Symphony
on record.
In conclusion, I heartily
recommend the new Weil disc to all readers
except those who tend to be allergic
to the sound of period instruments.
Listeners will not find the two programmed
works to be deep in emotional content
or wide in breadth, but each is a delightful
representation of Weber’s artistry and
compositional skills. Bruno Weil’s performances
are fully idiomatic of Weber’s soundworld,
and his vocal and instrumental forces
support his approach convincingly. The
informative and insightful liner notes
are offered in English, German and French;
the libretto is in English and German.
Those readers interested in the disc
should acquire it quickly, because previous
recordings of "Abu Hassan"
have not stayed in print very long.
Don Satz
Narrator/Caliph – Wolfgang Völz *