WEINBERGER : SHVANDA DUDÀK

Radio New Zealand Concert network
Sunday 19th of August 2012 at 3 - 5.30 pm

WEINBERGER: Schwanda the Bagpiper
Schwanda der  Dudelsackpfeifer
an opera in two acts and five scenes
Schwanda.................... Christoph Pohl
Dorotka........................ Marjorie Owens
Babinsky...................... Ladislav Elgr
The Queen................... Tichina Vaughn
The Magician............... Tilman Rönnebeck
The Devil..................... Michael Eder
The Judge.................... Simeon Esper
The Executioner........... Timothy Oliver
The Devil's Servant...... Timothy Oliver
Captain........................ Simeon Esper
First Lansquenet.......... Simeon Esper
Second Lansquenet..... Ilhun Jung
Dresden State Opera Chorus and State Orch/Constantin Trinks
(recorded in the Semperoper, Dresden by German Radio, Halle)


PROLOG
RECORD
RECORD

Jaromír Weinberger (1896-1967) was born in Prague and died in Saint Petersburg; the use of that name in 1967 is surprising (instead of Leningrad or Petrograd) but it is the one in Florida, USA; he emigrated to America in 1939 (his name is Jewish, obviously); he died of a self-administered narcotic overdose; he achieved world-wide fame with this one opera, and he was able to live on the funds that came in from its performances. The only other composition of his that succeeded in the musical world was the "Polka and fugue" from Schwanda der Dudelsackpfeifer!
   The opera is based on a folk-tale which had appeared previously in other operas; it involves a trip to Hell and diabolical negotiations with the Devil himself to get out of the place, through card games.
   I own the CBS record (1981, 3 discs in a box with the libretto, in 3 languages, but not the original Czech!), using the German translation of  Max Brod. Some interesting names: Hermann Prey, Lucia Popp, Siegfried Jerusalem!