Franz Schreker (1878-1934)
Der Schatzgräber (1918)
Elisabet Strid (soprano) – Els
Daniel Johansson (tenor) – Elis
Michael Laurenz (tenor) – Narr
Deutsche Oper Berlin /Marc Albrecht
Christof Loy (tage direction)
rec. 10 & 14 May 2022, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Germany
Naxos NBD0173D Blu-ray [165]
When back in 2013 I reviewed a reissue of the pioneering CD recording of Schreker’s Der Schatzgräber (review) I found several causes for complaint which militated against any real enthusiasm for an important and historical representation of a major operatic score. In the first place Gerd Albrecht as conductor had inflicted a plethora of cuts on the score – I enumerated fourteen in total, removing nearly half an hour of music – which not only mutilated the shape of the score but were largely pointless because (if the intention had been to tighten up the drama) they were individually so pernickety as to save little time. Secondly the casting, of the lead female role in particular, had been calamitously misjudged. And thirdly, although the original issue had supplied full text and translation, the reissued set had jettisoned this in its entirety leaving the poor listener at a total loss when trying to follow a complicated and symbolic plot. Shortly after that review appeared we had a rival CD recording conducted by Marc Albrecht which restored some (although not all) of the cut passages, decidedly improved the standard if the singing, and supplied the German text although without translation. Both these sets appear to be currently available only as downloads; but even so this new video production must be regarded as superseding them both.
Marc Albrecht in the booklet expresses his enthusiasm for the score, and as in his previous CD recording he avoids most of the disfiguring cuts made in the old Capriccio set. However in Act Two he still omits two brief scenes near the beginning, where the townsfolk mock the minstrel Els who is condemned for execution. I cannot see any justifiable reason for this excision – we now move with unconvincing abruptness directly from the conversation between the fool and Els to the funeral procession – and it seems a shame that we should be deprived of any part of what the conductor describes as a “work of exceptional quality, concentration and significance.” On the other hand we do now have the opportunity of experiencing the whole glorious sweep of Act Three with its Tristan-like love duet without any cuts designed to trim any supposedly excess fat (of which there is not one solitary ounce) from the richness of the mixture.
One always hesitates to attack the interpretation of a singer who has the courage and sense of adventure to attack an unfamiliar role, let alone one of the dramatic complexity and musical challenge of a part such as Els; but in the case of Gabriele Schnaut in the Capriccio recording such reluctance is overpowered by necessity. Time after time she ignores Schreker’s carefully notated dynamics in the score, substituting a scythe-like attack which sometimes misfires in terms of pitch as well as volume; she seems reluctant ever to sing quietly, and on the rare occasions when she does the voice lacks support. By comparison in this performance Elisabet Strid provides blessed relief. She cannot always rise to Schreker’s cruel challenges to open a passage on a pianissimo high note followed by a crescendo to a large lyrical phrase, but at least she tries to encompass the instructions and the results are always musical. Since hers is the only female singing voice to be heard in the opera, her contribution is crucial to the success of the whole.
The two rivals for her love are both tenors, but require voices of a very different stamp. Daniel Johansson here takes on one of those ungrateful roles so often found in heroic operas of this vintage: a Wagnerian volume of delivery is required, coupled with an ease in the upper register and a sense of lyric line that are rarely to be found combined in the same singer. He does manage to maintain a good sense of delicacy in the many more constrained passages, and manages not to sound ugly when he has to force his tone in the more strenuous ones. Even more tricky is the role of the Jester, which calls for a Mime-type of character tenor who at the same time is capable of turning into a delicate and sympathetic wooer who persists in his admiration for Els despite his recognition of her crimes. Michael Laurenz encompasses both extremes well, and sustains his more lyrical passages to a degree that evokes a sense of beauty.
The other roles in the drama are much more than mere ciphers, and all of them are taken here by well-tuned voices who never have to resort to shouting in order to make themselves over the frequent tumult evoked by Schreker’s orchestration, excoriatingly delivered by the players under the energetic hand of Albrecht. The fact that the only other female role, that of the Queen, is silent throws additional pressure on to Schmid as Elis which she is well equipped to handle; and Doke Pauwels is an expressive actress. Indeed all the protagonists respond well to the character direction of Christof Loy, creating real human beings out of what could so easily become simply symbolic archetypes.
However it is precisely in this attempt to explicate and humanise the drama that there lies the main problem with this production. Anxious that we should not forget or forgive the past crimes of Els, Loy brings on to the stage the murdered zombie-like corpses of her former lovers during the still music that underlies her delicate lullaby at the beginning of Act Three, and these make an unwanted silent chorus of witnesses to the extended love scene between her and Elis which forms the bulk of the Act. During the lengthy orchestral passage as the two consummate their passion, the assembled voyeurs then proceed to indulge in their own orgy of carnal lust with the sort of embarrassed and stilted gestures of which only a bored and long-suffering operatic chorus are capable, with results that are the very opposite of the eroticism which Schreker’s orchestra evokes. Far more effective would have been the semi-darkened and deserted stage which is called for in the original stage directions. One is always grateful to Loy for his enthusiastic espousal of rare late-romantic operatic scores which have often been consigned by disdainful critics to the dustbin of history; but at the same time one must lament his habit of explaining with such graphic pedantry to the audience what the music already makes abundantly clear. And the results, as we have seen before in his Das Wunder des Heliane and Francesca da Rimini, can be downright tawdry if not indeed unnecessarily ugly. A degree of reticence might well pay dramatic dividends.
The presence of onscreen surtitles is however a real bonus; the plot is complex – and indeed self-contradictory – enough to welcome anything which can assist with comprehension. The producer himself has provided a synopsis which, oddly enough, omits any explanation of the additional characters he introduces onstage during Act Three; but it is helpful, and much more extensive than the sorry summary of the plot supplied with the latest Capriccio CD reissue. The booklet, in English and German, also furnishes a comprehensive track listing and still photographs from the production which unfortunately serve to underline how basic and uninspiring are the costumes (early twentieth century) and stage designs (basically consisting of a long table and chairs), although the imaginative lighting helps to obviate this in places.
For those looking for a recording of Der Schatzgräber in a staged production, though, there is no competition in the catalogues; nor is one to be anticipated anytime soon. And even for those seeking an audio recording of one of Schreker’s most delectable scores, this new performances outshines its predecessors in the catalogues. There also is the line-by-line translation, essential if the music is to have a full effect.
Paul Corfield Godfrey
Previous review (DVD): Jim Westhead (October 2023)
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Additional cast and personnel
Patrick Cook (tenor) – Albi
Thomas Johannes Mayer (baritone) – Bailiff
Clemens Bieber (tenor) – Chancellor
Tuomas Pursio (bass-baritone) – King
Doke Pauwels – Queen
Michael Adams (baritone) – Count, Herald, Schoolmaster
Joel Allison (bass-baritone) – Mayor
Seth Carico (bass-baritone) – Young nobleman
Gideon Poppe (tenor) – Scribe
Stephen Bronk (bass-baritone) – Innkeeper
Johannes Leiacker – set designer
Barbara Drohsin – costume designer
Olaf Winter – lighting designer
Technical details
Subtitles: German, English, French, Japanese, Korean
HD 16:9: PCM stereo and DTS Master Audio 5.1
Region: A B C
