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

[aeolium]

So he is, waldhorn - mea culpa

[Tony Halstead]

[Al R Gando]

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 .

Indeed not. His operas (written mainly for London) are a remarkable development in the genre, and deserve to be better known - especially in their country of origin. We must take a care not to confuse him with his brother, Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach - carelessness or avarice induced publishers of the time to muddle the difference, and several of the keyboard concerti can't be attributed with certainty in result. A certain amount of the blame might be apportioned to a dad who could, in all honesty, have displayed a little more imagination in this field ;)

JCB was laid to rest in Old St Pancras Churchyard - a piece of land which used to lie off Goodsway and the Old Potato Market behind St Pancras Station. I sought his grave out long ago when I was a student, and laid a flower or two. I fear it may have been subsumed into the development of St Pancras International, or even into the King's Place complex - does anyone know?

[vinteuil]

A certain amount of the blame might be apportioned to a dad who could, in all honesty, have displayed a little more imagination in this field

o, the entire Bach clan are to be blamed for their lack of imagination in naming their offspring! so many Johanns, Christians, Christophs...

Actually it wd have been easier if they had done as the Reuss family did - call ALL of the sons Heinrich and give them a number...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuss_Elder_Line

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuss_Younger_Line

But more seriously, yes - can I put my vote behind any campaign for more JC Bach. We are indeed fortunate to have the benefit of the sterling work of Anthony Halstead and the Hanover Band in giving us CDs of the Synphonies - Concertos - Sinfonia Concertantes - but - yes please, the operas, and more recordings...

[Chris Newman]

JCB was laid to rest in Old St Pancras Churchyard - a piece of land which used to lie off Goodsway and the Old Potato Market behind St Pancras Station. I sought his grave out long ago when I was a student, and laid a flower or two. I fear it may have been subsumed into the development of St Pancras International, or even into the King's Place complex - does anyone know?

A look at the Church's website suggests that the site of JCB's actual tomb was lost and a memorial stone now lies in the centre of the graveyard. Thomas Hardy apparently had the job of moving disinterred remains when the railway was built. The relics and tombstones from that move were amassed around what is known as the Hardy Tree.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&GRid=8691&CRid=658411&

The Churchyard lost several very famous tombs at that time. The Shelleys, Godwins and Wollstencrafts were all moved to St Peter's Church at Bournemouth where they can be found a few yards from Sir Dan Godfrey and Constantin Silvestri.

Carl Maria von Weber (the subject of this thread) was originally buried in London at St. Mary Moorfields Chapel and later tranferred by Wagner to his home town of Dresden.

I am not sure of the propriety of referring to Johann Christian as JCB in the context of a note on earthmoving

[Al R Gando]

Thank you, Chris Newman, for that update on the situation at the St Pancras Old Church Cemetery!

[Chris Newman]

That's OK, Al. I too have an interest (not a morbid thing I hope) in the birthplaces and graves of people I admire.

[aeolium]

The Shelleys, Godwins and Wollstencrafts were all moved to St Peter's Church at Bournemouth where they can be found a few yards from Sir Dan Godfrey and Constantin Silvestri.

Chris, I thought P B Shelley's grave was in the Protestant Cemetery in Rome, near Cestius' Pyramid, and next to Keats'. It is a very peaceful and moving place to visit.

[Chris Newman]

Chris, I thought P B Shelley's grave was in the Protestant Cemetery in Rome, near Cestius' Pyramid, and next to Keats'. It is a very peaceful and moving place to visit.

Poor Shelley suffered the same fate as Henry II and ended up buried in various different places. Byron grabbed his heart from the flames and gave it to Mary Shelley, who with her parents, is now in the graveyard of St Peter's Bournemouth and Percy B-S is listed on the same gravestone. I remember on our Founder's Day at my secondary school we used to process past what we thought was his tomb (a memorial, surely?) in Horsham Parish Church. He was born at Warnham, on the edge of Horsham, and his family moved to a house next to my old Primary School by Horsham Parish Church. I am sure he most of him is in Rome but his heart is in Bournemouth.

http://www.poetsgraves.co.uk/shelley.htm

[Al R Gando]

I am sure he most of him is in Rome but his heart is in Bournemouth.

Something similar happened with Handel - his heart was buried separately, at the country church at Diting. He wrote about it in the anthem "My Heart Is In Diting".

[Prommer]

So, back to Freischutz anyone? My Kleiber recording has pride of place. In rehearsing the opening of the overture, he would apparently ask for the orchestra to imagine a Caspar David Friedrich landscape, with the mist slowly rising off the lake....

[Chris Newman]

Something similar happened with Handel - his heart was buried separately, at the country church at Diting. He wrote about it in the anthem "My Heart Is In Diting".

[Serial_Apologist]

Something similar happened with Handel - his heart was buried separately, at the country church at Diting. He wrote about it in the anthem "My Heart Is In Diting".

Quite an inditement.....

[Chris Newman]

Back to Weber and Berlioz. I had hoped to go as I love Der Freischutz especially in Keilberth's recording. Then I worked out that the combination of the time of Keilberth's recording, the fact that recitative takes longer than speech, The Invitation to the Dance and my usual dosshouse being unavailable I stayed at home and heard it on the radio.

So, French sounds more pleasant on the ear than German in singing (Sorry to disagree, Lady Bracknell. The line is immaterial). Lovely to hear a lyric tenor rather than a heldentenor: thank you Andrew Kennedy. It was fascinating to hear the Berlioz recitative. His sense of drama is unerring. I am glad to have heard this version, especially so well played and sung. I shall still listen to the original but hope that JEG makes a new recording of this version.

[Simon]

Superb listening. We've thoroughly enjoyed this: never heard the French version before. Really seemed to gel well throughout.