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Pfitzner: Das Christelflein / Flor, Munich Radio So, Et Al


Release Date: 11/15/2005 
Label:  Cpo   Catalog #: 777155   Spars Code: n/a 
Composer:  Hans Pfitzner
Performer:  Marlis Petersen,  Martina Rüping,  Kevin Connors,  Christian Bauer,   ... 
Conductor:  Claus Peter Flor
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Tölz Boys Choir,  Munich Radio Symphony Orchestra
Number of Discs: 2 
Recorded in: Stereo 
Length: 1 Hours 36 Mins. 

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Notes and Editorial Reviews

Opera isn’t only a public art form. Anything that expensive to produce invariably is a political and cultural statement, as well. This has been the case with opera since the Camerata Fiorentina launched its very first performances. Verdi’s musical and literary choices in his operas made such statements, and much the same can be said of Wagner. It was partially in reaction against Wagner, partially against the wave of verismo that followed Verdi, that German fairytale opera made its appearance in the last three decades of the 19th century. It included no historical subject matter, no gods engaging in racy and violent behavior, no sordid realism derived from Sicilian murders of passion. Its emphasis was on reaffirming current German Read more middleclass values.

Sometimes this was achieved subtly, through Romantic idealization, as in Humperdinck’s Hansel und Gretel. (Less subtly, Walter Niemann wrote of it in his 1913 Musik der Gegenwart, “With one blow the glowing Italian sun, shining with murder and homicide, sank down behind . . . the magic of German love of the woodland. The last Italian opera invasion has been repulsed.”) Other works were more overt in their message of support for hearth, religion, and class, and Pfitzner’s Das Christ-Elflein was among these. It first took shape as incidental music to the play of the same name. Pfitzner gradually expanded that into a Spieloper, an opera with spoken dialogue and melodramas: dialogue over orchestral accompaniment (another reversion to an older, more conservative time). The basic tale involves a young man and his father, the local baron, both of whom have lost their faith, only to regain it after the Christ Child gives back full health to a dying family member—a small girl, of course. In exchange, a little carefree Elf that has seen human suffering decides to join the Christ Child in heaven. Since the regional nature spirits would be bereft without their Elf, the Christ Child promises that it will return once a year to its old haunts; hence the name of the opera. Additional content was provided through a family of servants and the presence of Old Rupert or Father Christmas, who, among other things, treats the assembled children to a story in music of how each German hero in heaven gets his own fir tree.

Initial critical and popular reaction was wildly enthusiastic upon the debut of this revised Das Christ-Elflein in 1917. It was lauded at the time for presenting a “true German Christmas.” Reactions since then have differed strongly with this view. As numerous critics have noted, the operatic text is maudlin, insincere, and placidly comfortable in its assumptions. But It’s a Wonderful Life is no less so, and it remains a great holiday favorite. The crime of Das Christ-Elflein isn’t one of reality-denying sentimentality and mindless nationalism, but of placing these elements in a stylistic framework no longer acceptable by today’s society. You can fool me with lies, but I will get angry if you do so in any cultural structures but my own.

Musically, the opera follows the dictates of its genre. Folk material is used, though Pfitzner is sophisticated in its application. He also considerably lightened his usual orchestration, applying it with a lively sense of color and, where required, wit. While the opera has its darker moments, it includes a pair of hearty songs for Old Rupert and a wonderfully deft and energetic round dance. For the rest, Pfitzner’s music transcends his literary material effortlessly. He manages to write luminous music for the Christ Child, a miniature tone poem of great oppressiveness for the dying Trautchen’s first scene, and breezily effervescent material for the Elf. The simplicity of the verses for the children’s chorale are offset by the brief but effective harmonic complexity that separates them. With Das Christ-Elflein, the craftsman and poet that were Pftizner exist side by side, in perfect amity.

This performance is a live one, recorded in December of 2004, in Munich. Virtually all the dialogue has been removed, along with the single melodrama scene that survived the transition from incidental music to opera. In its place, this production includes the comments of a narrator, who provides textural summations that join the musical numbers together. Judging from the absence of stage noise and movement as well as the enthusiastic applause at its completion, the opera was given in a concert version.

The performances are uniformly fine. Marlis Petersen makes a charming and enthusiastic Elf, with a slimness to her tone that would do credit to a Hansel. Martina Rüping also possesses that kind of voice, with a more immature quality appropriate to someone more youthful. Friedemann Röhlig’s dark bass is just right for the Old Fir Tree Man; and if Michael Volle as Old Rupert occasionally displays a wobble, he is for the most part rock solid and well into the part. Everybody, in fact, performs here with a theatrical immediacy that many another live performance on record should emulate. (One curious omission, though: although featured in the performance, neither Trautchen nor her singer is mentioned anywhere on this CD.)

Sound quality is excellent, but only synopses of the numbers are provided along with effective liner notes. The timings are poor, too. Did cpo have nothing pertinent in their vaults that could have been reissued with this release?

I’m familiar with two previous recordings of Das Christ-Elflein. One, another relatively recent live performance, has yet to appear on CD. The other is at least 20 years old though in extremely good sound, was again recorded before an audience, and occasionally appears on reprint labels. (It featured a limited portion of the dialogue, instead of narration.) Though presently unavailable, it will probably show up again, so some brief discussion of it is warranted. Hanny Steffek performed the eponymous role well, though the fast vibrato and greater intrinsic warmth of her voice made her sound a bit too feminine, in my opinion, for the part. Walter Kreppel as the Old Fir Tree Man was mellifluous in the upper reaches of the role, approximate in the lower, and too inclined to ignore the written note in any case for emotional emphasis. Old Rupert was played by Manfred Jungwirth, who injected rather more mirth into his role than Volle did—one doubts Jungwirth would ever leave a piece of coal in any child’s stocking. If my guess about the age of this recording (the mid 1970s) is correct, then Friederike Sailer was already in her fifties when she accepted the role of the Christ Child. She performed it admirably, however, with something of the quality of Erna Berger: a very high-sounding soprano, almost child-like in its tone. The others in the cast were roughly on par with their cpo colleagues, though Heinz Zednik as Frieder was rather more sweet-toned than Kevin Connors, and Ermst Märzendorfer was more inclined to linger than the tautly focused conducting of Flor.

The libretto of this opera will definitely put off many people. But if the subject and language of sacred oratorios don’t bother you, consider the purchase of Das Christ-Elflein. At least there’s no violence against demonized opponents, and the music is an endless delight.

FANFARE: Barry Brenesal
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Works on This Recording

1. Das Christ-Elflein, Op. 20 by Hans Pfitzner
Performer:  Marlis Petersen (Soprano), Martina Rüping (Soprano), Kevin Connors (Tenor),
Christian Bauer (Tenor), Michael Volle (Bass), Andreas Hörl (Baritone),
Friedemann Röhlig (Bass), Richard Salter (Bass), Andrea Sokol (Spoken Vocals)
Conductor:  Claus Peter Flor
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Tölz Boys Choir,  Munich Radio Symphony Orchestra
Period: 20th Century 
Written: Germany 
 Length: 96 Minutes 20 Secs. 
Language: German 
Notes: Composition written: Germany (1906 - 1917). 

Sound Samples

Das Christ-Elflein, Op. 20: Act I: Ouverture
Das Christ-Elflein, Op. 20: Act I: Zwischentext (text by A. Fink)
Das Christ-Elflein, Op. 20: Act I: Sie schlafen alle, weit und breit! (Elflein, Tannegreis)
Das Christ-Elflein, Op. 20: Act I: Krank? O weh! Was mag das sein? (Elflein)
Das Christ-Elflein, Op. 20: Act I: Zwischentext (text by A. Fink)
Das Christ-Elflein, Op. 20: Act I: Ich schreite durch den Schnee einher (Knecht Rupprecht)
Das Christ-Elflein, Op. 20: Act I: Du holdes Puppengesicht (Knecht Rupprecht, Jochen, Franz, Christkindchen, Elflein, Tannegreis)
Das Christ-Elflein, Op. 20: Act I: Zwischentext (text by A. Fink)
Das Christ-Elflein, Op. 20: Act I: Nun woll'n wir einmal seh'n (Tannegreis)
Das Christ-Elflein, Op. 20: Act I: Zwischentext (text by A. Fink)
Das Christ-Elflein, Op. 20: Act I: Tannenjunker! (Elflein, Tannegreis, Engel) - Beifall geblendet
Das Christ-Elflein, Op. 20: Act II: Introduction
Das Christ-Elflein, Op. 20: Act II: Wo ist der Baum? (Gumpach, Franz, Frieder)
Das Christ-Elflein, Op. 20: Act II: Melodram: Du bist der Frieder
Das Christ-Elflein, Op. 20: Act II: O komm' in uns're Mitte (Kinder)
Das Christ-Elflein, Op. 20: Act II: Zwischentext (text by A. Fink)
Das Christ-Elflein, Op. 20: Act II: Als Christ, der Herr, verklaret war (Knecht Rupprecht)
Das Christ-Elflein, Op. 20: Act II: Zwischentext (text by A. Fink) - Act II: Instrumental
Das Christ-Elflein, Op. 20: Act II: Bei wem das Christkindchen heut' kehrt ein (Christkindchen, Frieder, Elfein, Tannegreis)
Das Christ-Elflein, Op. 20: Act II: Christkindchen tut lauten (Christkindchen, Knecht Rupprecht, Elflein, Engel)
Das Christ-Elflein, Op. 20: Act II: Alle Englein freuen sich (Engel, Trautchen, Frieder, Tannegreis) - Beifall geblendet

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