Query: Albert Lortzing overture

[edurban]

I'm looking for a recording of a Lortzing overture I taped off the radio in the 70's, and seem to have lost.  It was almost certainly a German radio recording, and appeared in the States on a radio program called "Music From Germany" hosted by David Berger.  The overture was an occasional piece, either a Fest-Ouverture or a Jubel-Ouverture.  It was a great piece of festive music and I'd love to hear it again.  Anybody have something that might fit this description in their archives?

David

[Pengelli]

Unfortunately,no. I'm a bit of a fan of Lortzing's opera's &  wish emi would re-release their recordings of 'Der Waffenschmied' & 'Die Opernprobe' on cd.
As to the overture,there is a Marco Polo cd of some overtures.How good the performances & recordings are I can't tell you;some of their stuff was pretty variable,but it would be better than nothing,and I think Amazon gave it quite a good review. It is sad that such a fine opera composer is so neglected. One of his less well known opera's 'Undine' is a lovely work,& 'Zar und Zimmerman' & 'Der Wildschutz' are gems. Almost like operetta,but with more range & depth. The emi performances are superb. He got allot of his inspiration from Mozart & while not on the same level of inspiration,it really does show. To anyone who does not know his work,I would particularly recommend,'Der Wildschutz' (emi). 
Heinrich Marschner is equally recommendable.

[Mark Thomas]

Although it's not listed in Grove, the Library of Congress (and several other US libraries) have a copy of a Fest-Ouvertüre by Lortzing here. It's not a recording, I know, but it's a start. I've also picked up that there may be a recording on a Lyra(?) LP number 3286, but I can't google that to a satisfactory conclusion. Good luck!

[edurban]

Thanks, Mark.  Can't really figure out how to work with that page.  If you select a format for download, (are you really downloading anything?) your session times out long before it finishes downloading.  This happened twice. 

Ah, for the good old low-tech days when the LofC librarians would let you take manuscripts to the xerox machine in the back of the reading room and turn away as you slapped fragile scores on the machine and copied away;)...

David

[Pengelli]

I think I'll have a look out for that one too. It isn't on the Marco Polo cd,and judging by some of their performances,if it was,it probably would't have caught your imagination in the way that I did. That's why I've resisted the recent recording of 'Der Waffenschmied',so far. The old emi recordings,aged as they are,have such a starry line up of singers. I'm afraid they just don't make 'em like that any more. Anyway,long live 'singspiel', I say!

[edurban]

I agree, Pengelli!  I've been a fan of Zar und Zimmerman since my teens, when the echo-y old Heger performance was all that was available.  It sounded like it had been recorded at the bottom of the Grand Canyon!  I also enjoy Lortzing's oratorio Die Himmelfahrt Jesu Christi, which I imagine is still available on cpo. 

This elusive overture was delightful, with, if I remember correctly, an extended cello solo.  Well, you never know what will pop up on records.  If someone had told me 20 years ago that all the Ries concertos and symphonies would be on disc one day, I'd have told them they were nuts...

David

[Pengelli]

And Zar und Zimmerman on dvd too.  I mean,okay,the performance is ancient,but who would have thought........

[thalbergmad]

Anybody have something that might fit this description in their archives?

I have not got any recordings, but I have some piano transcriptions of some of the overtures.

Der_Waffenschmied - 4 hands
Der_Wildschütz - 4 hands
Undine - 4 hands
Zar_und_Zimmermann - 4 hands
Zar und Zimmermann (complete) - 2 hands

If you think any of this might be of some use, please drop me a line.

Thal

[edurban]

Thanks, Thal, but it was definitely an occasional piece, not something attached to an opera..

David