Franz Schreker

[Alan Howe]

Agreed.

[savvy]

Thank you for the information.

By the way: I wrote my Master (in Italian) about the Lieder of Schreker (all of them) and I'm writing my PhD (in german) about "Die Gezeichneten" and other operas set in the Italian Renaissance. I've seen 5 different productions of "Die Gezeichneten" in the last 5 years, too. So much about my interest for the music.

[Alan Howe]

It seems, though, that you are unaware of information that is already widely available on the 'net. Is that because you haven't been looking at articles in English?

[savvy]

No, it's only because I've read directly the "Forbidden Music" book and alas not the blog. That information is neither in the book nor in other Schreker's biographies I knew.

[Mark Thomas]

Fair enough, so maybe we can now get back to Schreker himself.

[Alan Howe]

I have been listening a lot to Die Gezeichneten over recent days and I have to say I find it a frustrating experience: so much care is lavished on the gorgeous orchestral writing and yet there is so little that is attractive or remarkable in the vocal writing, which is predominantly conversational or declamatory. In fact I'd go so far as to say that the result is almost schizophrenic, with the orchestral backdrop being virtually totally at odds with the vocal line.

I don't believe that Schreker's operas will ever 'make it' in the English-speaking world as so much depends on understanding what the singers are singing. This is not too much of a problem for me as a German speaker, but I would think that his operas would have to be done in translation to make much of an impression.

Perhaps someone far more expert than me can enlighten me as to Schreker artistic aims in his operas?

[eschiss1]

candidate for "operas in" native language series? though insofar as music is fit well to words in the original the translation should be as well, which (viz even Sondheim's American and British musical productions) can require major changes by people who know what they are doing.

[adriano]

You are right, Alan, I have similar thoughts about die Gezeichneten (and very similar arguments against Korngold's Wunder der Heliane!). With all my respect, I find it a rarther turgic piece, with not all too exciting vocal lines; perhaps he wanted to try out something like Strauss's later Konversationsstil. Sometimes (and in my modest personal opinion), I have the impression that Schreker would have composed the music first and added the vocal lines only later. He tried out perhaps a kind of "symphonic accompaniment" which did not always work and which was against his high theatrical intuition and skill. But I may be wrong (have warned in here that I am not a Schreker expert). Although it has some sublime moments (the Overture, and, of course its separate extended masterwork-like concert piece transformation into Vorspiel zu einem Drama). The painting study duet between Carlotta and Alviano is also very valuable. The last act is quite chaotic and a musical disappointment. The piece has, in my opinion, not the impact of Der Ferne Klang. Der Ferne Klang is, in my opinion, the best Schreker Opera: I like it because it has different styles and orchestral colours, cleverly used to feature the different characters, dramatic situations and places of action. But still has a great unity. An important difference beteween this opera and Die Gezeichneten is that in Der Ferne Klang, the musical accomapniment is also a protagonist or a "other level's" commentary, and never just an accompaniment; this not only through themes and motifs, but variable orchestral colours and forms.Just imagine the final, short half-spoken monologue by Fritz, accompanied at first by a celesta at and followed by transparent strings later! This works better than a 90 piece orchestral accompaniment à la Strauss. Who else at that time would have had such a super idea, using a simple celasta! And those extra instrumental groups in the brothel scene; this is already like Charles Ives!
It could also be considered a verismo piece, particularly in the first scene. At the end of the second, Schreker wants the noise of a departing train to be heard... Thematically, Schreker conceived an almost watchmaker's leitmotif and cell scheme. Their variations and metamorphoses are absolutely clever and motivated, and not recogniseable at first. In other words, the music does only appear as mostly nearly improvised (a thing which would also work, of course)!
There is a highly specialised book on the Ferne Klang's harmonic build-up by Gösta Neuwirth and a fabulous 400-page study by Ulrike Kienzle, with psychological and thematic analyses, dramaturgical technique analyses and a lot of historical considerations. Every scene is considered and explained, it's an immense help to understand the piece in detail; although it is also understandable for non-professional, willing and sensitive/emotional musical lovers. This is the only opera by Schreker of which I treasure a full score. Of course I also have scores of his song cycles and orchestral pieces; but I think Der Ferne Klang will be the last music/score to accompany me till the end of my life. The major bulk of my Schreker collection is already at the Zurich Central Library. It also containes about 2 dozens of (very early) books on this composer, videos, photos, 78s conducted by Schreker etc.

[adriano]

@eschiss1 - this reminds me of that horrible English sung opera series on Chandos. Was it not the Welsh National Opera that carried on with this fixation? Are they still?

[minacciosa]

I consider Die Gezeichneten to be a great work, truly one of the greatest and most original works in the operatic repertoire. I don't agree with the posit that the vocal writing is not attractive or grateful; not everything is going to be Norma and the writing fits perfectly with the narrative to be conveyed. It is music of fracture and disassociation, superbly realized by the composer. I believe it can hold the stage today as it did during Schreker's lifetime.

I do understand that the writing may not be to the taste of the more conservative among its audience.

[adriano]

Thanks, minacciosa :-)
It's good that we can discuss different opinions in here and I am sure there are more pro than cons in this case; and, just to specity, I am not "contrary" (or "more conservative"!) - and love this opera very much! After all, I just reveal my personal impressions and taste by saying that the vocal lines are "not too exciting". This opera may even be Schreker's most "mature" stage work, it is a great work for sure. I don't want it to be a Norma, but, knowing the earlier Schreker as a melodist, I just miss this a bit in the Gezeichneten, compared to Der Ferne Klang, where melody is, as I (personally) feel it, more characterised and straightfoward. I even dare to add that after the "more complicated" vocalism of Die Gezeichneten, Schreker went back again to his "earlier style" with Der Schatzgräber and Irrelohe (which I therefore both consider more "authentic Schreker" than Die Gezeichneten). Then, his following last three completed operas are again a change of style, using a "Neue Sachlichkeit"-like, more dry and more "modern" language... A very interesting development; did he fear that his Jugendstil expressionism would become old-fashioned?
At the time of its first performances, Die Gezeichneten was considered as an impressionistic work, but musicologist Paul Bekker pointed out that it had more dramatic power and sensuosness than, for example, Debussy's Pelléas. Some critics also said that it lacked melodic power, but Bekker prowed the contrary. Bekker even said that, compared to the Ferne Klang, Die Gezeichneten had more melodic phrases, arioso-like passages and "breadth". In his earlier writing about his own "Music Dramatic Idea", Schreker did not foresee this, and had to admit later, that, in a way, he developed himself with Die Gezeichneten. In that writing he had pointed out his (almost obessive?) preoccupation with timbre and color and his search of "pure sound, used with care, one of the essential music-dramatic expressive means, an atmospheric resource without equal" (which, he perfectly demonstrated in his "self-confessing" Der Ferne Klang). That is why I prefer Der Ferne Klang, finding it the most authentic and original Schreker piece (here I refer to some passages in Chris Hailey's fabulous Schreker book, in order not to write too many silly things :-)
Incidentally, Michael Gielen, who conducted Die Gezeichneten in Frankfurt in 1979, did not like the piece and found it a minor opera. It took a few years before he would change his mind (I am not convinced he really did). But he had accepted to conduct it in order to promote this important piece. So I was told by Schreker's daughter Haidy after she came back from Frankurt to visit me.

[minacciosa]

Brendan's article is superb.

[adriano]

It is indeed, I've just re-read it with interest and admiration :-)
Brendan, just one little thing: Schreker's opera "Flammen" has a libretto by Dora Leen, so he did not write all of his libretti.

[eschiss1]

apparently an alias for someone named Dora Pollak? but yes.

[adriano]

Right, eschiss1
Also four early Schreker songs are set on her poems.