RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Johann Rudolph ZUMSTEEG (1760 - 1802)
Die Geisterinsel - Singspiel in 3 acts (1797)
Andrea Lauren Brown (Ariel); Christiane Karg (Miranda) (soprano); Sophie Harmsen
(Fabio) (mezzo); Benjamin Hulett (Fernando) (tenor); Christian Feichtmair
(Caliban); Falko Hönisch (Prospero); Christian Immler (Stefano); Patrick
Pobeschin (Orinzio) (baritone)
Kammerchor Stuttgart
Hofkapelle Stuttgart/Frieder Bernius
rec. live 29-30 April 2010, Musikhochschule, Stuttgart, Germany. DDD
CARUS 83.229 [3 CDs: 41:49 + 50:26 + 47:11]
The German conductor Frieder Bernius, whose activities are concentrated in
Stuttgart, regularly pays attention to music which in one way or another is
connected to this city. Only recently he recorded an opera by Justin Heinrich
Knecht, who for some time worked in Stuttgart, and wrote his opera Die
Aeolsharfe for performance there in 1808 - it never took place. The recording
was positively
reviewed here by Göran Forsling. With Die Geisterinsel another
opera - or rather, a Singspiel - for Stuttgart has been recorded, which
Johann Rudolph Zumsteeg composed in 1797.
Zumsteeg spent most of his life in Stuttgart. He was born in Sachsenflur,
near Mergentheim, in what is now Baden-Württemberg, whose capital is
Stuttgart. His father was a military man and later was in the service of Duke
Carl Eugen of Württemberg. Johann Rudolph was to follow in his father's
footsteps as he entered the military academy which the Duke had founded. But
since he was musically talented he would make a career in music instead. He
was educated at the cello and in composition, and most of his ten surviving
cello concertos were written during his formative years. Soon he turned his
attention to music-drama: at the age of just 17 he set Klopstock's ode Die
Frühlingsfeier. He also composed songs for Schiller's play Die
Räuber, a result of his friendship with the poet.
In 1781 Zumsteeg was appointed cellist in the court orchestra, and in 1793
he was promoted to Konzertmeister. Zumsteeg played a key role in the
promotion of Mozart's operas, as he performed Die Zauberflöte, Don
Giovanni and Così fan tutte. He has become known in the
main for his songs with keyboard, and in this respect he is an important link
between the era of the song with basso continuo and the Klavierlied
of the early 19th century.
Die Geisterinsel is based on The Tempest by William Shakespeare
(a synopsis of his play can be found here).
It was only in the middle of the 18th century that the works of the English
poet and playwright became known and appreciated in Germany. Gotthold Ephraim
Lessing (1729-1781) was the first to pay attention to his works. Zumsteeg
made use of an adaptation by Friedrich Hildebrand Freiherr von Einsiedel (1750-1828)
which was further adapted by Friedrich Wilhelm Gotter (1746-1797). The adaptation
not only regarded a translation into German, but also the cutting of several
of Shakespeare's characters and the creation of some new roles. The libretto
was set by Zumsteeg in recitatives and arias which were linked by spoken text.
This piece belongs to the genre of the Singspiel. Typical of the Singspiel
is not only the spoken text but also the inclusion of song-like arias and
ariettas. Zumsteeg mixes various forms like aria and recitative into large-scale
scenes. This can be heard in the finales which end the first and second acts.
There is a clear influence from the opera buffa, in particular in the
character of the gnome Caliban, the bad boy of the piece. The work begins
with an overture, which is followed by the only dacapo aria, a reminder of
the opera seria.
Several aspects of Zumsteeg’s composition are notable. Firstly, there
is a clear distinction between the arias of the various characters. As Caliban
represents the opera buffa, his contributions are mostly rather simple
and often of a declamatory character, with hardly any coloratura. The role
of the sylph Ariel, though, is much more elaborate: her arias feature plenty
of coloratura and are quite virtuosic. Another key character is Fernando,
prince of Naples. His royal status is emphasized by the sophisticated nature
of his music. Miranda, the daughter of the former duke of Milan, Prospero,
is portrayed as "a girlish character, [built] far from civilization" - as
Adrian Kuhl writes in his liner-notes - but through the coloratura passages
of her role we are reminded of her "superior social status". The choirs are
interesting: one of them is accompanied by wind alone, another is a cappella.
The orchestral colours are also eloquently used to express dramatic development.
It cannot be appreciated enough that pieces like this are brought to our attention.
Historically they are often interesting, and therefore mentioned in history
books. A recording like this gives the opportunity to hear for ourselves why
they are of historical importance. This Singspiel has its musical merits
as well. As this is a recording of a live performance it is understandable
that large parts have been cut. A number of sung passages are omitted - printed
in grey in the booklet - and the whole spoken text is also left out. This
part is not printed in the booklet which is understandable as it would be
incomprehensible to non-German readers. Although the synopsis is extensive
this is no compensation for the lack of English translations of the lyrics.
As in his previous recording of Knecht's Die Aeolsharfe Frieder Bernius
has brought together an impressive cast which has no weak links. At first
I thought that Falko Hönisch had too little presence, but while listening
I got used to it; maybe it was deliberate that they chose not to deploy a
more powerful voice. Andrea Lauren Brown has the vocally most demanding part
as Ariel, and she masters her role magnificently. She sings her arias with
impressive ease, but also portrays her character convincingly. The tenor Benjamin
Hulett is also impressive in the role of Fernando. He has a beautiful and
agile voice, and his delivery is immaculate. Christian Feichtmair is spot-on
as Caliban, and Sophie Harmsen does well as Fernando's squire Fabio. Göran
Forsling, in his review of Knecht's Die Aeolsharfe, listed the many
qualities of the Kammerchor Stuttgart but felt that they missed "raw uninhibited
power". I understand what he means, and to a certain extent agree. Some choruses
are probably a bit too polished, like the choir of the crew-members of the
ship that is to sink at the end of Act 1. But the choruses of the spirits
in Acts 1 and 2 and the chorus in the closing episode of the work are very
well sung. The orchestra includes a full battery of wind and percussion, and
plays with vigour and dramatic flair.
We should be thankful for this recording of a previously neglected piece of
music for the stage. It is a shame, though, that this kind of work seems only
to be recorded live, and as a result almost inevitably are heavily cut. I
believe this piece - and that also goes for Knecht's Die Aeolsharfe
- are good enough to be performed at full length, preferably staged. Probably
the time hasn't yet come that an opera such as this is fully appreciated and
assessed alongside the operas of, for instance, Mozart.
Johan van Veen
http://www.musica-dei-donum.org
https://twitter.com/johanvanveen
Enjoyable Singspiel in a fine performance with an impressive cast.