'Scherz, List und Rache' - by various...

[mikehopf]

On WDR on Sunday evening:

Opera (starts at 1804/2: 04PM): joke, cunning and revenge
Singspiel in 4 acts by Philipp Christoph Kayser, text by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Finally premiered after more than 230 years: Christoph Philipp Kayser's turbulent stroke of genius based on a libretto by his friend Goethe. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Christoph Philipp Kayser have valued each other since Frankfurt youth days. Inspired by the lively example of Italian intermezzi, they looked for a new type of German opera. The result: "Joke, cunning and revenge", a turbulent three-person play about a young couple that an old, greedy doctor cheated of the inheritance. Kayser set Goethe's text to grandiose sound, with a great sense for melos and vocal virtuosity and with a wide range of original instrument colors. But then "Scherz, List und Rache" had to wait over 230 years for a premiere in full orchestra! In November 2019 the time had finally come, thanks to the joy of discovery by Werner Ehrhardt and his orchestra l'arte del mondo. The co-production of WDR 3 and Bayer Kultur can be seen on the radio for the first time.

Thanks to brilliant new technology, the opera can be seen on the radio for the first time!

Scapine: Annika Boos, soprano
Scapin: Cornel Frey, tenor
Doctor: Florian Götz, baritone
l'arte del mondo, directed by Werner Ehrhardt

Recording from the Bayer Erholungshaus, Leverkusen (1 hr., 56 min.)

[Mark Thomas]

The premiere of this opera was in 1787, so it's most unlikely to have anything of the romantic era in it.  I'm intrigued by "Thanks to brilliant new technology, the opera can be seen on the radio for the first time!" - is this a Google mis-translate, or are we on the brink of a technological breakthrough?

[eschiss1]

Scherz, List und Rache was also the title- maybe even the same plot - of operas by other composers, now I think on it. Max Bruch's own Op.1 (a comic opera after Goethe) has this title (has been recorded), for example. (Wellesz Op.41, Singspiel after Goethe, but too recent for us, likewise Paul Ben-Haim's effort, etc. Wolfgang Fraenkel's opera op.4 (1916-8) is borderline.) I'm now going to see if I can hear the Bruch, though!

[Alan Howe]

The Kayser's not for us, I'm sure. Whereas the Bruch...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFKNKVGK31E

[FBerwald]

Oh man. The Bruch is beautiful. I could make out from the cover image that the Op. 1 is orchestrated by someone else - Does that mean the original version is lost to us now?