Wolf Der Corregidor

[Alan Howe]

I've been tempted in the past to get hold one of the few remaining copies of Wolf's opera recorded on the Schwann label in 1985 (c. by that great proponent of unsung music, Gerd Albrecht), so I finally gave in to temptation and ordered it in from Germany. First impressions are very favourable - a sort of successor to Die Meistersinger, although lighter and with the sort of imported Spanish flavourings that Wagner would never have countenanced. The performance is wonderfully sung - hardly surprising when you look at the cast-list:
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B000025PXZ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[alberto]

I attended a live stage performance of Der Corregidor in my city, about 35 years ago. I remember it was a pleasant opera and that it wasn't at all "a chain of lieder" as lazy music handbooks pretended to describe it in two words.
The theatre, to show that nobody should have feared Hugo Wolf, presented the audience with a recording of the overture (an old one conducted by Karl Elmendorff).
Some years later I bought an Lp with a suite of four symphonic excerpts conducted by Horst Stein.
Later, in the Cd era, a record by Barenboim with two symphonic excepts (exists another one conducted by D.Fischer-Dieskau). With the Stein, Barenboim and Fischer-Dieskau one may become familiar with the impressive symphonic poem Penthesilea (rather lisztian).

[Alan Howe]

The overture's spectacular!

[BerlinExpat]

that great proponent of unsung music, Gerd Albrecht

Gerd Albrecht was indeed a great proponent of unsung music and I'm sure there is a considerable amount of music I would otherwise never have heard or would never have been given a chance, but unfortunately he had a propensity to make cuts, sometimes significant and without justfication. Mostly his tendency was to cut choruses from operas. The most notable examples I have experienced was a concert performance of Schoeck's Schloss Durande with the Staatskapelle Berlin in which so much was cut that the intended CD release never materialised and secondly Schmidt's Notre Dame at the State Opera Dresden in which nearly a third was cut and I tried to get a one third refund on the ticket price! There are other examples where he presented forgotten pieces for the first time but nevertheless made dubious cuts. Zermlinsky's Es war einmal is a prime example. Albrecht was the forerunner but Conlon gave us the full picture which IMHO makes more sense.

[Alan Howe]

I had never realised that - thanks for the info.

[adriano]

I fully agree with you, Alan :-)
Just taken out the CD from my shelve for a re-listening these coming days.

[Alan Howe]

Do tell us more of what you think about the opera when you have time...

[adriano]

Just finished a patient complete listening in one bit.
(The booklet does not mention which singer sings which part; so one has to be able recognize the (excellent) voices beforehand. I have the first CD issue of 1986).
I am no musiclogist and just write spontaneous impressions, as I would discuss them with a friend on the way home after a performance...
The author of the Schwann CD liner notes is right: this is an opera not for the stage, but for a recording only; I too I consider it something for musical gourmets. Frankly (this is just a personal opinion!), Wagner's "Meistersinger" also belongs to the same category. Apart from some rather bombastic, occasionally Wagner-inspired preludes and interludes (which makes up an interesting orchestral suite à la Busoni) in "Der Corregidor", Hugo Wolf remains the precious genius vocal miniaturist and reveals itself a rather untalented music dramatists, even though some symphonic ambitions are revealed here and there. What is, in a way, "disturbing" in this opera: the orchestral accompanying is too bombastic for such a "provincial comedy" libretto! But with such a (so so la la) libretto, Wolf should have reached more "direct" Musiktheater-like effects in the comic scenes. Wolf did not lack sense for dramatism, as it can be discovered and appreciated in his tone poem "Penthesilea"; and would he perhaps have succeeded in writing a totally dramatic opera? I say yes.
What can be said about Wolf's orchestration? It is simply superb!
In the third act's sudden dramatic music, there is a particular scene worth of consideration: the Miller's (Fischer-Dieskau's in the Koch-Schwann recording) jealousy scene, which contains some "modern sounding" passages foreboding Wolf's later style (quite à la Mussorgsky" sometimes!), as, for eample his "Michelangelo" cycle. But this too is nothing else than a sequel of song- or ballad-like sequences.  In this and in the last act there are also short "operatic" ensembles. Apparently, Wolf had realized that the Miller's and the Corregidor's characters were perhaps too tragic for a comic opera. Wolf also needs a chours - another aspect making this work appear too bombastic, cosidering the short "functions" the chorus is being needed to.
In my opinion, German and Austrian composers never really succeded writing comic operas. Apart from "Die Meistersinger" (a comical bore), Lortzing may be superior and more entertaining for audiences than Nicolai (both used good libretti). Verdi's unsurpassable "Falstaff" wins against Richard Strauss's "Rosenkavalier" and "Ariadne", or Respighi's "Belfagor" - if we ignore what had been written in Italy earlier by Rossini and Donizetti, making audiences really laugh. Audiences needing real comic operas must wait until Menotti's "Amelia al ballo", "The Telephone" and "The Old Maid and the Thief". And earlier English and French comic operas would be the subject of an interesting UC thread: am I right?
In other words, "Der Corregidor" is a pleasant, but mostly unbalanced sequel of song-like miniatures and and occasional dramatic "operatic" sequences, excellently orchestrated for a (too) large orchestra. Wolf still remains a genius, even for having tried out a domain which was perhaps too ambitious for him.
One could also criticise that Wolf did not use enough "Spanish" flavour in his music; this would have helped to make it more lively.
De Falla's "El sombrero de tres picos", which has the same plot of "Der Corregidor" (based on a story by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón) is a well-working ballet on the stage - but in this case too, listening to a complete version on a recording, one gets disappointed by too many short and different ballet mickey-mousing sequences and no longer symphonic flow. That's why the suite is recommendable for concerts and home listening. And the suite of Wolf's opera is also very well working!
Incidentally (I), Ansermet's two "sans éros" recordings of De Falla's complete ballet are, in my opinion,  both the most boring and cold ones ever. In this case he really behaved like a Swiss watchmaker; and I will never understand that just he, who had conducted this ballet on stage, would make such disappointing recordings! So just listen to Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos!
Incidentally (II): De Falla was also a "non-éros" person, but, like Ravel, he could write fabulously erotic music!

[semloh]

...spontaneous impressions, as I would discuss them with a friend on the way home after a performance...

Exceedingly lucky friend!

I haven't heard anyone refer to Menotti's Telephone for decades!! What great breadth of knowledge.

[adriano]

Thanks very much, semloh :-)
There is another funny one-act opera to remember: Douglas Moore's "Gallantry"!

[Alan Howe]

Yes, thanks for your thoughts on Wolf's opera. Very insightful - and helpful.

[Mark Thomas]

I've added to our Downloads Board a recent broadcast on Netherlands radio of a 1992 concert performance of Der Corregidor, conducted by Kenneth Montgomery.

[Ebubu]

Adriano's mention of Douglas Moore reminded me that I've been looking for so long for his Ballad of Baby Doe recording with Beverley Sills.  It looks quite impossible to find, but maybe some kind soul here might have that treasure in store...

[adriano]

I certainly have it, Ebubu - and I am a kind soul too :-)
Give me some time and I will upload it for you; but in this case I would need your e-mail address - which you can give me via private messenger