Franz Schmidt's opera Fredigundis

[Alan Howe]

Has anyone tried this opera by Franz Schmidt?>>>
http://premiereopera.net/product/fredigundis-by-schmidt-vienna-1979/

[mbhaub]

Wow! About time for this to appear. I was unaware of this site, thanks for bringing to our attention!

I've had the bootleg LP recording for 40 years, and have complained regularly about the lack of a proper cd edition. I made a cd transfer from the LP but always worry about the longevity of CD-ROM. I keep hoping Capriccio would do it to complement their worthy Notre Dame.

Anyway...the opera has some beautiful music that is wonderfully scored. There are some very moving scenes - the last one is very effective and gripping. But it does share something in common with a LOT of other forgotten operas: dramatically, it's weak. Again Schmidt had an amateur write the libretto and it shows. Following the story is difficult if your German isn't excellent - the score is in German only, as is the printed libretto. Nonetheless, for the curious, Fredigundis is well worth investigating. For Schmidt fans it's mandatory.

[adriano]

Yes, of course, it's really maginficent! I already had this performance on private LPs! House of Opera offers a clean version on private CDs against a very small fee...

[minacciosa]

Fantastic opera, magnificent music. The plot is difficult, but it shouldn't matter; operaphiles put up with a lot worse and get very passionate about their likes and dislikes. Like so many worthy operas, it needs a courageous staging and new recording.