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
-
Carl Maria von Weber: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1
Classical - Released by Meridian Records on 10/09/2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Clarinet Concerto no. 1 in F minor, Op. 73
Classical - Released by MFF Records on 15/05/2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Der Freischütz - Oper erzählt als Hörspiel mit Musik
Miscellaneous - Released by Amor Verlag GmbH on 7/01/2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Classical Romance with Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria von Weber, Alojz Zupan, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
Lounge - Released by PMI Collins Classics on 1/02/2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Oberon Overture
Christian Lindberg, Carl Maria von Weber, Per Egland, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by EUROPEAN GRAMOPHONE on 6/05/2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weber: Overtures
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Lawrence Foster
Classical - Released by Claves Records on 1/01/1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Celebrated New York Concerts, Vol. 5
Classical - Released by Cembal d'amour CD 158 on 1/02/2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weber: Euryanthe
American Symphony Orchestra, Leon Botstein
Opera - Released by American Symphony Orchestra on 24/09/2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
EG Favorites
Gioachino Rossini, Carl Maria von Weber, Georges Bizet
Classical - Released by EUROPEAN GRAMOPHONE on 6/07/2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weber: Euryanthe
Herta Wilfert, Inge Borkh, Carlo Maria Giulini
Classical - Released by Urania on 25/04/2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dance With Nikolai Petrov
Classical - Released by Pipeline Music on 28/11/2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Von Weber: Clarinet Concertos - Mozart: Rondo for Flute
Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Milos Jurkovic, Jozef Lulacik
Classical - Released by Blaricum CD Company (B.C.D.) B.V. on 8/07/2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Clásicos Inolvidables Vol. 27, Danzas
Classical - Released by ADAGIO on 3/08/2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weber: Ländlicher Tanz (Country Dance) [Digitally Remastered]
Rudi Knabl Zither Ensemble, Rudi Knabl
Classical - Released by EMG Classical on 23/10/2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dioses de la Música - Weber, Bizet, Verdi
Classical - Released by Piros Comercial Digital on 26/05/2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weber: ROMANCE
Christian Lindberg, Roland Pöntinen, Carl Maria von Weber
Classical - Released by EUROPEAN GRAMOPHONE on 1/07/2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Classical Clarinet
Classical - Released by Brilliant Classics on 7/01/2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Der Malerweg in der Sächsischen Schweiz
Alexander Zschiedrich, Gerda Zschiedrich, Carl Maria von Weber, Richard Wagner
Humour/Spoken Word - Released by Unterlauf & Zschiedrich Hörbuchverlag on 23/07/2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Symphony no. 2 in C major, J. 51
Classical - Released by MFF Records on 15/05/2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weber Der Freischütz, Op. 77
Classical - Released by MFF Records on 18/05/2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Elf King's Oath
Classical - Released by Audiofonic Records on 20/04/2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo