Franz Lehár (1870-1948)
Symphonic Works, Piano Sonatas & 39 Lieder
Contents listed after review
rec. 1996-2001, locations not provided
cpo 555702-2 [6 CDs: 384]
I started listening to this six-disc set of Lehár’s music with little prior knowledge of him or his oeuvre, aside from The Merry Widow, perhaps his most famous work. As a fan of well-recorded piano music, I began with CD 4. To my disappointment, I found it rather uninteresting; Lehár composed the music when he was just 16 or 17. While it is somewhat simplistic, it occasionally hints at the composer he would become. The last movement of the D minor sonata features a memorable, jaunty dance tune that Lehár varies in several ways, but the opening of the first movement, despite its mildly Sturm und Drang style, promises more than it delivers. The sonata impressed Brahms enough for him to write a letter of praise to the Prague Conservatory. The slightly earlier F minor piece, however, is filled with unremarkable flurries of notes, showing that Lehár had yet to discover his unique melodic gift.
The piano recording captures a beautiful ‘ping’ in the upper register, and pianist Wolf Harden delivers the music with a professionalism that honours Lehár’s esteemed legacy.
Lehár’s songs appear on two hour-long discs, accompanied by a booklet with German-to-English translations and extensive notes. Most of the songs are stand-alone pieces, although there are four song cycles. The earliest cycle, Seven Karst-Lieder, was composed while Lehár was a military bandmaster in Pula on the Istrian Peninsula. This region is known for its Karst landscape, comprising around 70% limestone sculpted by water over millennia. At that time, Lehár also composed his opera Kukuschka, which was accepted by the Leipzig Opera. This achievement, and with his view that his bandmaster duties were hindering his compositional work, led him to resign, but he was less than successful, so he returned to bandmaster duties. The songs from this period are in the late-Romantic style, which Lehár’s brother thought comparable to Hugo Wolf’s Mörike Lieder. The songs fluctuate between major and minor keys, reflecting the hopes and realities of falling in love. They are melodically pleasing and accessible, though they may not delve deeply into musical emotions.
The first song on the first disc, Aus langst vergang’ner Zeit, exceeds five minutes and features a rhapsodic accompaniment with occasional intense vocal outbursts. It was composed for the daughter of a regimental colonel who requested Lehár to teach her to sing. She was so taxed by this and the other songs he composed for her that she became hoarse, and the singing lessons came to an end. Unlike some of his other songs, this one does not fall into the category of salon music.
When Lehár secured a conductorship at the Theater an der Wien in 1902, he primarily focused on composing operettas. However, not all songs from that period were of the light-hearted operetta variety. The two-song cycle Aus eiserner Zeit was composed in 1915 in response to his brother’s serious injury. Lehár’s reaction to the war is conveyed through a defiant, jingoistic marching call to arms that underscores the terrors and dangers of battle (Reiterlied 1914). In Nur einer, the poet reflects on the unnoticed loss of an individual life among the thousands – a much sadder song.
As noted, there were exceptions to the light operetta-type songs, but after Lehár’s transformation into an operetta composer his songs relied upon operetta forms – a couplet, a strophic and rondo song, often in dance form (polka and waltz). He also started to make use of cabaret influences, sometimes using texts rather risqué for the time.
The two Lieder discs excellently showcase Lehár’s art. CPO has gathered a highly talented group of singers for this recording. I did not notice any weak vocal performances. Even the coloratura soprano, featured in six songs, performs beautifully, without the usual (for me) wince-inducing moments.
Discs 2 and 3 offer a continuous stream of light, enjoyable music. However, listening to them without breaks can lead to auditory saturation, despite CPO’s excellent engineering and Michail Jurowsky’s highly engaged conducting of the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. For me, the sweet operetta melodies tend to fade from memory quickly, likely because I have not consistently revisited all 28 pieces. Even when given an opportunity to compose something different, as seen in the seven-minute Chinese Ballet Suite, Lehár’s typical Viennese musical style only lightly incorporates Chinoiserie, and he used it as an insert in Land des Lächelns.
These two discs may primarily appeal to those who already enjoy Viennese operetta. The booklet’s description of the disc titled ‘Overtures and Waltzes’ contains the phrase ‘The Last Waltz King’, so one may anticipate the nature of its content.
For my musical taste, the remaining disc is the most intriguing. Lehár ventures beyond his usual operetta style, exploring musical forms more commonly found outside that genre. He experienced early success with his opera Kukuschka, but a series of unfortunate events, including the illness of the lead singers, prevented it from gaining the repeated performances needed to provide substantial income. His breakthrough came with the Gold and Silver Waltz and the early operetta Der Rastelbinder, which was performed approximately 2500 times in German-speaking theatres until the end of WWI. This success paved the way for his monumental achievement with Die lustige Witwe. Nonetheless, Lehár still aspired to triumph in ‘serious’ opera. He revised Kukuschka, renaming it Tatjana, and attained moderate success. Unfortunately, the Austrian and German press, having grown somewhat critical of Lehár, harshly reviewed his efforts and urged him to ‘’return to composing as a bandmaster, which was clearly where his talents lay’.
The disc begins with three orchestral preludes and a Russian dance from Tatjana. The pieces are not from a work of significant depth, but Lehár does venture into a mildly serious style reminiscent of a young Richard Strauss. His orchestration is impressive, but the melodies, not particularly memorable, tend to sound somewhat generic.
Fieber [fever] is a thirteen-minute tone poem for tenor and orchestra. The piece has had another recording, with a very favorable review. I concur with the reviewer: Fieber showcases a different aspect of Lehár’s talents. It illustrates the delirium that leads to a young soldier’s death, and recalls scenes from his military life. The intensity of emotion in this work likely stems from Lehár’s personal connection: his younger brother nearly lost a leg in WWI. This deeply felt piece, a stark contrast to Die lustige Witwe, will resonate with those who appreciate late 19th or early 20th-century serious music. Tenor Robert Gambill delivers an exceptional performance, with only a slight strain at one point.
Il Guado [the ford] captures the gentle murmuring of a small river in Northern Italy. The soloist predominantly plays in the mid- and higher registers of the piano. In my opinion, the piece lacks notable interest and is unlikely to be memorable, even for those, like myself, who have enjoyed Hyperion’s Romantic Piano Concertos series when contemplating Germanic concertante works.
Lehár trained as a violinist at his father’s insistence, who recognized his son’s talent with the instrument. The rigid rules of the Conservatory prevented him from studying both composition and performance, making him an unhappy student, but he eventually left the conservatory and began his life as a composer. Given his technical expertise, it is surprising that he did not compose more violin concertos. Except perhaps for Lehár completists, the Concertino presented here does not warrant much attention. It remains firmly in the virtuoso salon piece style typical of many short concertante works of the period.
Eine Vision, Meine Jugendzeit [a vision, my youth] is a nine-minute concert overture that the booklet notes assert is a musical silhouette of the Vltava river. Well, you could have fooled me, unless I was prepared to concede that the river dances along at least part of its length. Still, no doubt the work served its purpose as an opener to subscription concerts.
The disc concludes with Donaulegenden (On the Grey Danube), a waltz composed at the end of WWI. The piece is rather melancholy, yet it still launches into sprightly sections from time to time. Perhaps Lehár composed it in the immediate aftermath of the war, mentally comparing waltzes depicting the Blue Danube of the Imperial Period with the situation now facing Austria.
The notes that accompany the box are admirably detailed. They may have been put together from the original CDs, so some biographical information is repeated. That is a small price to pay for the overall information about Lehár and his musical development. It is all very well, opining that he found a nice musical rut for himself and stayed in it, but one really should consider the state of affairs in Austria after WW1: very severe economic dislocation, extremely high inflation, currency devaluation, and so on. Most people, given a good source of income, would have chosen to play safe.
I can recommend this very well produced set to anyone who has responded well to Lehár’s operettas.
Jim Westhead
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Contents:
CD 1 [70] rec. March 1996, January 1997
Tatjana (opera in three acts): Prelude to Act I, Prelude to Act II, Prelude to Act III, Russian Dance
Fieber, Tone Poem for Tenor and Orchestra (text by Erwin Weill)
Robert Gambill (tenor), Volker Worlitzsch (violin solo)
Il Guado, Symphonic Poem for Piano and Orchestra
Volker Banfield (piano)
Concertino for Violin and Orchestra
Latica Honda-Rosenberg (violin)
Eine Vision, Meine Jugendzeit, Concert Overture
Donaulegenden (“An der grauen Donau”), Waltz
Radio-Philharmonie Hannover des NDR / Klauspeter Seibel
CD 2 [68] rec. February 2001
Suites, Dances & Intermezzi
Zigeunerfest [Gypsy feast], ballet scene
Wo die Lerche singt
Preludium religioso from Rodrigo
Ein Märchen aus 1001 Nacht, Scéne phantastique [fairy tale from 1001 Nights)
Ballet Music from Peter und Paul im Schlaraffenland [Peter and Paul in Cockaigne]
Fata morgana, Konzert-Gavotte
Korallenlippen, Polka mazurka
Resignation from Fürstenkind
Suite de Danse
Chinesische Ballett-Suite
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin / Michail Jurowski
CD 3 [51] rec. May 2000
Overtures and Waltzes
Die lustige Witwe Overture
Altwiener Liebeswalzer
Der Göttergatte Overture
Wilde Rosen (Boston waltz)
Clo-Clo Overture
Grützner-Walzer
Adria Walzer
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin/ Michail Jurowski
CD 4 [74] rec. September 1999
Piano Sonata in F major
Piano Sonata in D minor
Fantasie for piano in A flat major
Wolf Harden (piano)
CD 5 [62] rec. April 1996
Lieder I
Text authors are listed in parentheses. Singers are marked [a]-[d].
Aus längst vergang’ner Zeit (Vilma Fries) [c]
Sieben Karst-Lieder (Felix Falzari) [c]
I. Schicksalsahnung
II. Erfüllung
III. Was streift mein Blick .
IV. Ich drücke deine liebe Hand
V. Es duften die Blüten .
VI. Mein Traumschloß — Versunken
VII. Verzaubert …
Aus eiserner Zeit:
Reiterlied 1914 (Hugo Zuckermann) [d]
Nur einer (Wilhelm van Oesteren) [b]
Erste Liebe (Ernst A. Welisch) [b]
Der Thräne Silberthau! (Eduard Merkt) [b]
Sehnsucht, heimliches Verlangen (Ernst A. Welisch) [b]
Die du mein alles bist (Wolfgang Fischer) [c]
Das lockende Lied (Fritz Löhner) [a]
Schau mich an, sei mir gut (Hans Rameau) [a]
Schillernder Falter (Max C. Krüger) [a]
Ich liebe dich! (Fritz Löhner) [b]
Frauenherz — du bist ein kleiner Schmetterling (Peter Herz) [d]
Wenn eine schöne Frau befiehlt (Kurt Robitschek) [d]
Liebesglück (Samuel Lehr) [b]
Geträumt (Ervin von Egéd) [b]
Die ganze Welt dreht sich um die Liebe (Hans Rameau) [b]
[a] Heidi Wolf, coloratura soprano
[b] Gabriele Rossmanith, soprano
[c] Iris Vermillion, mezzo-soprano
[d] Jürgen Sacher, tenor
Cord Garben, piano
CD 6 [59] rec. January 1996
Lieder II
Text authors are listed in parentheses. Singers are marked [e]-[f].
Dir sing ich mein Lied (Peter Herz) [f]
Die Näherin (Carl Lindau) [e]
Ruhe (Comtesse Rosa Cebrian) [e]
Ging da nicht eben das Glück? (Peter Herz) [e]
Ich holt dir vom Himmel das Blau (Ernst A. Welisch) [f]
Im Boudoir (Eduard Merkt) [f]
Nimm mich mit, o Herbst (Fritz Karpfen) [e]
Trutzlied (Fritz Löhner) [f]
Die Liebe zog vorüber (Otto Eisenschitz) [e]
I. Ich war sein Mädel
II. Das erste Mal
III. Am Bache im Gras
Ich hab ein Hüglein im Polenland (Karl Dankwart Zwerger) [e]
Vorüber (Emanuel Geibel) [e]
Såri (Kurt Robitschek) [e]
NachtIichter-Marsch (fragment) [f]
Komm, die Nacht gehört der Sünde (Peter Herz) [f]
[e] Brigitte Lindner, soprano
[f[ Christian Elsner, tenor
Cord Garben, piano
