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.
© TiVo
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Weber: Clarinet Quintet in B flat major Op.34, Flute Trio in G minor
Classica - Pubblicato da CRD Records il 1 gen 1981
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Carl Maria von Weber: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1
Classica - Pubblicato da Meridian Records il 10 set 2016
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Weber & Haydn: Trios for Flute, Cello & Piano
Hansgeorg Schmeiser, Othmar Muller, Matteo Fossi
Musica da camera - Pubblicato da Nimbus Records il 1 ott 2012
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Clarinet Concerto no. 1 in F minor, Op. 73
Classica - Pubblicato da MFF Records il 15 mag 2020
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Carl Maria von Weber: Der Freischütz, J 277 (1955), Volume 1
Elisabeth Grümmer, Rita Streich, Hans Hopf
Opera - Pubblicato da Classical Moments il 4 mar 2015
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Cello & Opera: Works for Cello & Piano (Live)
Classica - Pubblicato da VDE-GALLO il 29 giu 2012
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Classical Romance with Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria von Weber, Alojz Zupan, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
Lounge - Pubblicato da PMI Collins Classics il 1 feb 2019
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Invitation to the Dance
Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra, Salzburg Consort
Classica - Pubblicato da Blaricum CD Company (B.C.D.) B.V. il 9 lug 2014
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Schumann: Concerto - Schnittke: Violin Sonata
Classica - Pubblicato da Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga Musica il 1 gen 1982
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Weber: Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 73, J.114 (Digitally Remastered)
Moscow RTV Symphony Orchestra, Arnold Katz, Alexander Ivanov
Classica - Pubblicato da EMG Classical il 23 ott 2015
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Nadia Reisenberg: Live Chamber and Home Solo Performances
Musica da camera - Pubblicato da Roméo Records il 2 gen 2017
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Afscheid Van Een Springlevend Orkest
Classica - Pubblicato da Challenge Classics il 12 lug 2013
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Oberon Overture
Christian Lindberg, Carl Maria von Weber, Per Egland, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra
Classica - Pubblicato da EUROPEAN GRAMOPHONE il 6 mag 2020
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Carl Maria von Weber: Piano Sonatas
Classica - Pubblicato da CRD Records il 19 apr 1993
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Weber: Overtures
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Lawrence Foster
Classica - Pubblicato da Claves Records il 1 gen 1997
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Carl Maria von Weber: Pianos Sonatas Nos 3 & 4 / Polacca J268
Classica - Pubblicato da CRD Records il 1 lug 2000
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Weber: ROMANCE
Christian Lindberg, Roland Pöntinen, Carl Maria von Weber
Classica - Pubblicato da EUROPEAN GRAMOPHONE il 1 lug 2020
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The Celebrated New York Concerts, Vol. 5
Classica - Pubblicato da Cembal d'amour CD 158 il 1 feb 2011
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Weber: Euryanthe
American Symphony Orchestra, Leon Botstein
Opera - Pubblicato da American Symphony Orchestra il 24 set 2014
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Carl Maria von Weber: Chamber Music with Clarinet (Grand Duo Concertant, Op. 48, J. 204 - Variations on a Theme from Silvana, Op. 33, J. 128 - Clarinet Quintet, Op. 34, J. 182)
Musica da camera - Pubblicato da VDE-GALLO il 11 gen 2013
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EG Favorites
Gioachino Rossini, Carl Maria von Weber, Georges Bizet
Classica - Pubblicato da EUROPEAN GRAMOPHONE il 6 lug 2022
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