Prom 73: Friday 9th September at 7.30 p.m. (Weber's Der Freischutz)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

A rare chance to hear Weber's opera Der Freischutz, one of the cornerstones of German Romantic opera, reimagined by Berlioz for audiences at the Paris Opera. As originally composed, the work has spoken dialogue in German but, for the Paris production of 1841, Berlioz - a huge fan of Weber - replaced the dialogue with recitatives as well as adding the ballet expected by French audiences at the time.

Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducts, and tenor Andrew Kennedy as the forester-hero, Max, and the Belgian soprano Sophie Karthauser as his beloved Agathe lead the international cast in this dramatic tale of romance and magic.

Weber: Der Freischütz (French Version, 1841)

Andrew Kennedy (Max)
Sophie Karthäuser (Agathe)
Gidon Saks (Kaspar)
Virginie Pochon (Ännchen)
Matthew Brook (Kuno)
Luc Bertin-Hugault (A Hermit)
Christian Pelissier (Zamiel)
Samuel Evans (Kilian)
Robert Davies (Ottokar)
Monteverdi Choir
Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique
Sir John Eliot Gardiner (conductor).

[aeolium]

I'm very glad to have the chance to hear Der Freischütz with some fine soloists and the ORR with Gardiner, but I'm a bit disappointed it's the French version. Recitatives rather than spoken dialogue will improve the pacing of the work, but it is a work so steeped in German Romanticism that to have it, as it were, Frenchified, is as if Rusalka or Jenufa were translated into Spanish - the work is virtually deracinated. Even the tonal quality and colour of the music, so important in this work, will be affected by having French rather than German.

Of course it will still be mostly Weber, and I expect the performance to be a good one (and an interesting experience) but still more of a curiosity than anything else.

[Al R Gando]

I'm very glad to have the chance to hear Der Freischütz with some fine soloists and the ORR with Gardiner, but I'm a bit disappointed it's the French version. Recitatives rather than spoken dialogue will improve the pacing of the work, but it is a work so steeped in German Romanticism that to have it, as it were, Frenchified, is as if Rusalka or Jenufa were translated into Spanish - the work is virtually deracinated. Even the tonal quality and colour of the music, so important in this work, will be affected by having French rather than German.

Although in principal I agree with you, the idea of spoken dialogue in the RAH is already a problem. At least half the cast aren't native German-speakers, which compounds the difficulties.

[vinteuil]

I am very much looking forward to this. I'm a great fan of Weber and of Berlioz; in my time I have also been a bit of a fan of Sir John Eliot too... Freischütz is clearly Weber's masterwork, and yet one which for many ears is weakened by all those spoken recits - I've never heard the Berlioz, and I'm intrigued to hear what the result will be. I agree that German stuff in French can be really odd: one of my weirdest experiences was hearing the Bach S Matthew Passion performed by a scary amateur French choir in Montpon-Ménestérol twenty years ago - and I still shudder at the rememberance of it...

[aeolium]

Al R G, I think the reason for some of the cast being non-native German speakers is that JEG has already been performing this French version with this cast in Paris (though of course it's not uncommon for non-native German speakers to sing in German).

vinteuil, yes, it will be interesting, and I also like Berlioz as well as Weber, but if the German version were being performed I'm sure they could have managed to cut a fair bit of the dialogue (and do the rest in English if there are no surtitles). I wonder what the hunting song in Act 3 will sound like in French....

[Ferretfancy]

It's difficult to imagine the Wolf's Glen scene in French, some of the sinister quality must be lost, but still I intend to be there for my last Prom of the season.

[vinteuil]

It's difficult to imagine the Wolf's Glen scene in French, some of the sinister quality must be lost...

you mean the Ungeheuerlichkeit might just be replaced by a Voltairean sneer? .... I know what you mean. Let's wait'n'see...

[Chris Newman]

It's difficult to imagine the Wolf's Glen scene in French, some of the sinister quality must be lost, but still I intend to be there for my last Prom of the season.

It'll be my last Prom too. I just hope it does not overrun as it is a close run thing with my last train.

[aeolium]

Of course it should be remembered that Berlioz was opposed to the insertion of recitatives and ballet music into Freischütz, but since those were conditions of it being performed at the Opéra, he agreed to do it to prevent a worse job being done by others (he had already seen the opera butchered by Castil-Blaze).

[Chris Newman]

And when Hector came to London and heard the opera in French he expected to hear what he thought would be his own recitatives but had to suffer Michael Costa's (the conductor's) rather inferior version.

[Ventilhorn]

A rare chance to hear Weber's opera Der Freischutz, one of the cornerstones of German Romantic opera, reimagined by Berlioz for audiences at the Paris Opera. As originally composed, the work has spoken dialogue in German but, for the Paris production of 1841, Berlioz - a huge fan of Weber - replaced the dialogue with recitatives as well as adding the ballet expected by French audiences at the time.

Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducts, and tenor Andrew Kennedy as the forester-hero, Max, and the Belgian soprano Sophie Karthauser as his beloved Agathe lead the international cast in this dramatic tale of romance and magic.

Weber: Der Freischütz (French Version, 1841)

Andrew Kennedy (Max)
Sophie Karthäuser (Agathe)
Gidon Saks (Kaspar)
Virginie Pochon (Ännchen)
Matthew Brook (Kuno)
Luc Bertin-Hugault (A Hermit)
Christian Pelissier (Zamiel)
Samuel Evans (Kilian)
Robert Davies (Ottokar)
Monteverdi Choir
Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique
Sir John Eliot Gardiner (conductor).

Better than a Handel opera, I suppose, but since the BBC insisted on playing Beethoven's Ninth yet again this year, why didn't they keep it here as tradition demands?

Personally, I would like to see the penultimate night of the proms giving an airing to some of those composers who have, inexplicably, not been heard at all during this 2011 Proms season.

Joseph Haydn
Georges Bizet
Alexander Borodin
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Malcolm Arnold

..... to name but a few.

VH

[Tony Halstead]

"some of those composers who have, inexplicably, not been heard at all during this 2011 Proms season."

Agreed, VH.
I would like to see ( and hear) some of the works of, arguably, J.S. Bach's most famous son Johann Christian during his lifetime, programmed at the Proms.
J C Bach's birthday always falls within the Prom season ( 5th September).
The composer of about 30 authenticated symphonies, 27 keyboard concertos, about 20 sinfonia concertantes, many of them exploring different combinations of soloists, plus many operas, doesn't deserve his current neglect . Browsing through the Archive reveals that in its entire history, only ONE work by J C Bach has ever been heard at the Proms, back in 1950.
A few years ago I wrote to the then Director or the Proms, suggesting that one of Bach's magnificent symphonies for 2 orchestras could be programmed on his 5th September birthday. I did in fact get a reply, promising a performance 'at some time'.
It hasn't happened yet...

[salymap]

Good Morning VH and Waldhorn, for some reason 'tradition' is respected everywhere else but for some inexplicable reason is now a dirty word at the Proms. I am sure that except for a few regular nights when expected works were played we had a far more varied 'menu' of music, including many works that have taken their place in the regular repertoire. Where are this year's new works going to be in ten or twenty years time? Any guesses anyone?

[aeolium]

Personally, I would like to see the penultimate night of the proms giving an airing to some of those composers who have, inexplicably, not been heard at all during this 2011 Proms season.

Haydn?

[Tony Halstead]

HAYDN was actually right at the top of VH's list...