Gustav Schreck: Christus - Oratorio 1892

[mikehopf]

Saturday evening on Deutschlandfunk Kultur: " Christ the Resurrected" an oratorio by Schreck written in 1892.

Gustav Schreck was Thomaskantor from 1893 to 1918, as direct predecessor of Karl Straube. His death anniversary now marks the 100th anniversary of his oratorio, Christ the Resurrected 'at the site of his former workplace. Based on the only surviving handwritten score copy of the composer, the composer and editor Peter Berg has furnished the late-Romantic, large-scale work. This fall, it will appear as a co-production with Deutschlandfunk Kultur on a double CD at Rondeau.

[eschiss1]

The vocal score can be downloaded from IMSLP. (It was published in 1892 - does the holograph manuscript have the date 1892 too, or is the manuscript from which it was reconstructed a copy and the date-written an estimation from the date-published?)

[mikehopf]

Dunno!

[jerfilm]

I hope someone will be kind enough to record it.   I'll be on the road.

Jerry

[eschiss1]

Not sure the significance of the Shrek image...

OOHHH. Pun. Got it. I'm slow this morning.

, and maybe more interested in a revival of someone's chamber music myself (in this case, that I know of so far, bassoon and oboe sonatas one each, though I'm sure there's other music besides), but I hear you!

[mikehopf]

I recently got a lot of unwanted feedback about a Lithuanian opera that I announced as being of particular interest to another member of UC., but none at all about this glorious oratorio apart from a rather silly cartoon.

Not having a degree in Musical Theory, I rely on a simple emotional response to music that I hear without the need to go into deep analysis from the experts whose opinions often conflict with my own.

So saying, did anyone else hear this oratorio by Schreck? This time, I actually would like some feedback!

[Alan Howe]

I'm looking forward to the CD release. In the meantime, for German speakers here are some YouTube videos on the oratorio:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1tyQKcmOxk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so96rI9anJ8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAY4087zILg

Of course, we can't promise not to post negative feedback. It all depends how good the work seems to us. The excerpts seem to indicate a very conservative idiom - and some very beautiful music.

I'm assuming this highly melodic, indeed extremely attractive Bassoon Sonata is by the same composer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7MLxXju7PQ

I apologise about the 'rather silly cartoon'. I have removed it.

By the way, I have no formal musical qualifications either. Just years of listening to (rather a lot of) music.

[Mark Thomas]

Mike, I'm sorry that you seem to be narked by my negative response to Karnavicius' opera, but I'm sure you know that there was nothing personal in it. I too respond to music at least initially at a purely emotional level, and have had more than enough of my own enthusiasms disagreed with by others - starting with Raff - but we surely have to be able to disagree about a piece of music as long as we do so civilly and with good humour?

[mikehopf]

I was not "narked" about the criticism of Radvila. I agree that it is not a particularly good opera although it has a couple of nice arias in the first Act.

I was narked that my announcement of the broadcast was locked out for no good reason. As a regular contributor to UC and an opera-traqic , I think that I can distinguish between a late romantic and an avant garde work.

Moreover, I love to read the views of other members whether or not they conform to my own.
In fact, I was rather surprised at the favourable reception accorded to the Pingoud work which I also announced even though it did not particularly appeal to my tastes.

I've no objection to " silly cartoons" either, in fact I was planning to post one of "Pingu" .... it's a penguin, for Eric's benefit. It's just a bit dispiriting to post a forthcoming broadcast or recording which no one takes the trouble to make comments about, however adverse they are.

[Mark Thomas]

Oh, come on Mike. You've been here a long time and you know the policy that posts concerning unknown 20th century music need prior moderator approval. Radvila was composed in the 1930s IIRC. I entirely respect your stylistic judgement, but nothing was known about this work by anyone, including yourself, and we can't just work on assumption. In any event the post was locked, not deleted, and as soon as I heard a couple of excerpts then thread was unblocked.

[Alan Howe]

I think that I can distinguish between a late romantic and an avant garde work.

No doubt you can. But, with the greatest of respect, we're the moderators and it's up to us to make decisions about these things. Otherwise, as we have discovered in the past, the forum becomes a free-for-all, with everyone making different judgments about what is appropriate to post here. That's why our protocol is to request that members contact us first about music written post-1918.

It's just a bit dispiriting to post a forthcoming broadcast or recording which no one takes the trouble to make comments about, however adverse they are.

Well, I didn't get to hear the work. I'll now have to wait until the CD comes out - hence my silence so far. Silence isn't always evidence of indifference or negativity...

[eschiss1]

There's YouTube videos about the oratorio, but not of it (which I see you mentioned). There -are- YouTube videos of performances of his wind sonatas (which I mentioned I was interested in hearing- his sonatas for oboe and piano, and of bassoon and piano, performance material @ IMSLP...)- I'll listen to them later

[Alan Howe]

Here's an interesting article on Schreck:
http://mholtttwoodwinds.weebly.com/uploads/2/3/8/3/23835634/img033.pdf

[jerfilm]

Didn't anyone record this?

[Alan Howe]

Evidently not. We'll have to wait for the CDs.