Carl Maria von Weber
Composer, conductor, virtuoso, novelist, and essayist, Carl Maria von Weber is one of the great figures of German Romanticism. Known for his opera Der Freischütz, a work which expresses the spirit and aspirations of German Romanticism, Weber was the quintessential Romantic artist, turning to poetry, history, folklore, and myths for inspiration and striving to create a convincing synthesis of fantastic literature and music. Resembling the Faust legend, Der Freischütz (the term suggests the idea of an marksman relying on magic) is a story of two lovers whose ultimate fate is decided by supernatural forces, a story which Weber brings to life by masterfully translating into music the otherworldly, particularly sinister, aspects of the narrative. Weber's additional claim to fame are his works for woodwind instruments, which include two concertos and a concertino for clarinet, a concerto for bassoon, and a superb quintet for clarinet and string quartet. Born in 1786, Weber studied with Michael Haydn and Abbé Vogler. Appointed Kappelmeister at Breslau in 1804, he gained fame as an opera composer with the production, in 1811, of Abu Hassan. In 1813, he became director of the Prague Opera. In Prague, where he remained until 1816, Weber developed a mostly French repertoire, taking an active, and highly creative, part in the practical aspects of opera production. Underlying his often controversial efforts to reform opera production was his ardent desire to create a German operatic tradition. Although there were, indeed, capable composers in the German-speaking lands, the idea of a German opera provoked much opposition, as the public, trained to perceive opera as an exclusively Italian art form, regarded the concept of German opera as a contradiction in terms, despite the existence of a singspiel tradition, brilliantly exemplified by the Magic Flute by Mozart. While Weber's appointment as Royal Kappelmeister at Dresden, not to mention the triumphant production of Der Freischütz (1821), certainly strengthened his position as champion of German opera, his opponents remained unconvinced. Weber's next opera, Euryanthe (1823), failed to repeat the success of Der Freischütz. In Euryanthe, his only opera without spoken dialogue, Weber introduced the device of recurrent themes throughout the entire opera, thus anticipating Wagner. Although Weber brilliantly adapted a variety of harmonic styles and textures to the dramatic narrative, the overall effect was seriously hampered by a rambling libretto, an inept adaptation of a medieval romance already used by Shakespeare in Cymbeline. In 1825, Weber was invited to London. Among the works he was expected to conduct was Oberon, another opera with a Shakespearean theme. The librettist, who took the story from Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, created, in a misguided effort to please the public, an incredible hodgepodge, even more convoluted than Euryanthe, that not even Weber's genius could salvage. Nevertheless, Oberon, which the English public received with admiration, contains much gorgeous music, including examples of lush orchestration and exquisite tone painting. Often performed in concert, the overture is a true Romantic gem. Already in poor health before his London tour, Weber died in the English capital in 1826, shortly after the premiere of Oberon at Covent Garden.
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Weber: Euryanthe
Herta Wilfert, Inge Borkh, Carlo Maria Giulini
Klassik - Erschienen bei Urania am 25.04.2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dance With Nikolai Petrov
Klassik - Erschienen bei Pipeline Music am 28.11.2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vivaldi, Marcello, Handel: Baroque Music
Kammermusik - Erschienen bei VDE-GALLO am 19.06.2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Von Weber: Clarinet Concertos - Mozart: Rondo for Flute
Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Milos Jurkovic, Jozef Lulacik
Klassik - Erschienen bei Blaricum CD Company (B.C.D.) B.V. am 08.07.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Clásicos Inolvidables Vol. 27, Danzas
Klassik - Erschienen bei ADAGIO am 03.08.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weber: Ländlicher Tanz (Country Dance) [Digitally Remastered]
Rudi Knabl Zither Ensemble, Rudi Knabl
Klassik - Erschienen bei EMG Classical am 23.10.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weber: Grand potpourri in D Major, Op. 20, J.64 (Digitally Remastered)
Latvian Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, Tovijs Lifsics, Natalia Gutman
Klassik - Erschienen bei EMG Classical am 23.10.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dioses de la Música - Weber, Bizet, Verdi
Klassik - Erschienen bei Piros Comercial Digital am 26.05.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weber: Clarinet Concertos
Radio Luxembourg Symphony Orchestra
Instrumentalmusik - Erschienen bei Black Pearl am 17.01.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weber: ROMANCE
Christian Lindberg, Roland Pöntinen, Carl Maria von Weber
Klassik - Erschienen bei EUROPEAN GRAMOPHONE am 01.07.2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Art of Noel Mewton-Wood
Klassik - Erschienen bei Heritage Records am 13.05.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Classical Clarinet
Klassik - Erschienen bei Brilliant Classics am 07.01.2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weber: Oberon: Overture (Digitally Remastered)
Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Evgueni Mravinski
Oper - Erschienen bei EMG Classical am 23.10.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weber: Invitation to the Dance, Op. 65, J.260 (Digitally Remastered)
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Karel Ancerl
Klassik - Erschienen bei EMG Classical am 23.10.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Der Malerweg in der Sächsischen Schweiz
Alexander Zschiedrich, Gerda Zschiedrich, Carl Maria von Weber, Richard Wagner
Hörbücher - Erschienen bei Unterlauf & Zschiedrich Hörbuchverlag am 23.07.2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Symphony no. 2 in C major, J. 51
Klassik - Erschienen bei MFF Records am 15.05.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weber Der Freischütz, Op. 77
Klassik - Erschienen bei MFF Records am 18.05.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Elf King's Oath
Klassik - Erschienen bei Audiofonic Records am 20.04.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cosmic Classical: Scorpio
Georges Bizet, Johann Strauss II, Carl Maria von Weber
Lounge - Erschienen bei PMI Collins Classics am 29.09.2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Waltz Masterpieces
Stadium Symphony Orchestra Of New York, Raoul Poliakin
Klassik - Erschienen bei Everest Records am 10.07.1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Carl Maria von Weber: Abu Hassan
Oper - Erschienen bei The Digital Gramophone am 18.02.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo