Notes and Editorial Reviews
This is a limited European import packaged without English translated librettos. The release is highly acclaimed in Europe and is considered a collector's item.
"Finally everything in a box" - Kulturradio, Germany, 24.07.2012
"An excellent ensemble, all with great roles and voices...really much fun mixed with dignity and Suitner emphasizes the element of comedy within Gluck's music." - Hermes Opera Encyclopedia (Der betrogene Kadi)
".. Packed with exquisite parodies of conceit of the Operas...a cast of superlatives" - BBC Music Magazine
"Impressive, delicious orchestral colors, simple and melodious vocal solos and ensembles." - BBC Music
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Magazine (Zwillingsbrüder)
".. the sunny side of German opera in the first half of the 19th century is ripe for exploring the lively charm and musical wit with genuine Weber sung by Moser, Gedda and minor roles, all superb, as is the orchestra and chorus under Sawallisch." - BBC Music Magazine (Abu Hassan)
"Gedda, in great voice is an ideal Au Hassan, and is worthy of Edda Moser, whose beautiful voice is secure and flexible." - American Record Guide (Abu Hassan)
"A historically important work was brought to life, and the extremely successful choir and orchestra are excellent and Micheau and Gedda are great as estranged lovers.." - Gramophone, (Le Devin du Village)
"A very pleasing example of a different side of the art of d'Albert. An extremely attractive score, even more on repeated listening. All three singers are in top form and obviously enjoy this music. This disc I received a few days after the death of Hermann Prey, and they served me as living proof of what a highly respected artist he was. " - Fanfare (Die Abreise)
".. Rarely Heard gem, a magical release and Fischer-Dieskau is at the head of a brilliant singing ensemble, an excellent performance."- BBC Music Magazine (Die beiden Pädagogen)
"An amazing work for a 12 year old"- American Record Guide (Pädagogen)
"Donath and Fischer-Dieskau are perfect, Hanna Schwarz is excellent." - Fanfare (Heimkehr)
Brilliant operatic gems – 11 short-operas with all-star casts in acomplete edition.
When great masters compose miniature operas, the result is – well, masterly. Mozart, Weber, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Gluck, Lortzing and D'Albert: one-act operas from these famous pens are true gems of music history – and of the EMI archives. The Electrola recordings of these 11 short operas (mostly in Singspiel form) were made in the 1970's, but thanks to their all-star casts, which are nothing short of legendary, they seem as fresh as ever. Now EMI is releasing them in a complete edition for the first time.
"I was regularly surprised to find that there are still some undiscovered little jewels among the minor works of major composers" – thus Ekkehard Pluta in the magazine Klassik heute, reporting on these small but entirely fine works when they first appeared on CD in 1998: We hear the brilliant young Mendelssohn as composer of two Singspiele that were performed in the family circle, we hear Schubert's still little-known contributions to the musical repertoire of the Vienna Volkstheater, Weber's Abu Hassan and – especially delightful – works where the composer made fun of the music scene of his day, such as Lortzing's Opernprobe or Mozart's Schauspieldirektor. In addition to the commendable rediscovery of this repertoire, the recordings derive special appeal from outstanding singers, who wittily recreate the generally light-hearted spirit of these works: singers like Nicolai Gedda, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Edda Moser, Anneliese Rothenberger, Helen Donath, Hermann Prey and Kurt Moll.
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Works on This Recording
1.
Les petits riens, K Anh. 10 (299b) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Conductor:
Sir Neville Marriner
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Period: Classical
Written: 1778; Paris, France
2.
Serenade no 13 in G major, K 525 "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Conductor:
Sir Neville Marriner
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Period: Classical
Written: 1787; Vienna, Austria
3.
Il rč pastore, K 208: Overture by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Conductor:
Sir Neville Marriner
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Period: Classical
Written: 1775; Salzburg, Austria
4.
Lucio Silla, K 135: Overture by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Conductor:
Sir Neville Marriner
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Period: Classical
Written: 1772; Milan, Italy
5.
La finta semplice, K 51 (46a): Overture by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Conductor:
Sir Neville Marriner
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Period: Classical
Written: 1769; Salzburg, Austria
6.
Der Schauspieldirektor, K 486: Overture by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Conductor:
Sir Neville Marriner
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Period: Classical
Written: 1786; Vienna, Austria
7.
March in D major, K 335 no 1 (320a) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Conductor:
Sir Neville Marriner
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Period: Classical
Written: 1779; Salzburg, Austria
8.
German Dances (3), K 605: no 3 in C major "Sleigh ride" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Conductor:
Sir Neville Marriner
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Period: Classical
Written: 1789; Vienna, Austria
9.
Abu Hassan, J 106 by Carl Maria von Weber
Performer:
Nicolai Gedda (Tenor),
Edda Moser (Soprano),
Peter Brand (Spoken Vocals),
Heidy Forster (Spoken Vocals),
Manuela Renard (Spoken Vocals),
Kurt Moll (Bass)
Conductor:
Wolfgang Sawallisch
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bavarian State Opera Orchestra,
Bavarian State Opera Chorus
Period: Romantic
Written: 1810-1811; Munich, Germany
Date of Recording: 1975
Language: German
10.
Die Zwillingsbrüder, D 647 by Franz Schubert
Performer:
Kurt Moll (Bass),
Helen Donath (Soprano),
Nicolai Gedda (Tenor),
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Baritone),
Hans-Joachim Gallus (Bass)
Conductor:
Wolfgang Sawallisch
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bavarian State Opera Orchestra,
Bavarian State Opera Chorus
Period: Romantic
Written: 1819; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 1975
Language: German
11.
Bastien und Bastienne, K 50 (46a) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Brigitte Lindner (Soprano),
Adolf Dallapozza (Tenor),
Kurt Moll (Bass)
Conductor:
Eberhard Schoener
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bavarian State Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1768; Vienna, Austria
12.
Der Schauspieldirektor, K 486 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performer:
Klaus Hirte (Baritone),
Peter Ustinov (Spoken Vocals),
Mady Mesplé (Soprano),
Edda Moser (Soprano),
Nicolai Gedda (Tenor)
Conductor:
Eberhard Schoener
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bavarian State Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1786; Vienna, Austria
13.
Le cadi dupé by Christoph W. Gluck
Performer:
Walter Berry (Bass Baritone),
Anneliese Rothenberger (Soprano),
Helen Donath (Soprano),
Nicolai Gedda (Tenor),
Klaus Hirte (Baritone),
Regina Marheineke (Soprano)
Conductor:
Otmar Suitner
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bavarian State Opera Orchestra,
Bavarian State Opera Chorus
Period: Classical
Written: 1761; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 1974
Language: German
14.
Der vierjährige Posten, D 190 by Franz Schubert
Performer:
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Baritone),
Helen Donath (Soprano),
Peter Schreier (Tenor),
Fritz Strassner (Spoken Vocals),
Willi Brokmeier (Tenor),
Friedrich Lenz (Tenor),
Sunhild Rauschkolb (Alto)
Conductor:
Heinz Wallberg
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bavarian Radio Chorus,
Munich Radio Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1815; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 1977
Language: German
15.
Die Verschworenen, D 787 "Der häuslische Krieg" by Franz Schubert
Performer:
Gabriele Fuchs (Soprano),
Adolf Dallapozza (Tenor),
Martin Finke (Tenor),
Gudrun Greindl-Rosner (Alto),
Sunhild Rauschkolb (Alto),
Elke Schary (Soprano),
Edda Moser (Soprano),
Kurt Moll (Bass)
Conductor:
Heinz Wallberg
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bavarian Radio Chorus,
Munich Radio Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1823; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 1977
Language: German
16.
Die Opernprobe by Albert Lortzing
Performer:
Klaus Hirte (Baritone),
Kari Lövaas (Soprano),
Gisela Litz (Mezzo Soprano),
Walter Berry (Bass Baritone),
Nicolai Gedda (Tenor)
Conductor:
Otmar Suitner
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Munich State Opera Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1851; Germany
Date of Recording: 1974
Language: German
17.
Die beiden Pädagogen by Felix Mendelssohn
Performer:
Adolf Dallapozza (Tenor),
Krisztina Láki (Soprano),
Günter Wewel (Bass),
Gabriele Fuchs (Soprano),
Klaus Hirte (Baritone),
Ingrid Heitmann (Spoken Vocals),
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Baritone)
Conductor:
Heinz Wallberg
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Bavarian Radio Chorus,
Munich Radio Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1821; Germany
Date of Recording: 1978
Language: German
18.
Die Heimkehr aus der Fremde, Op. 89 by Felix Mendelssohn
Performer:
Hanna Schwarz (Mezzo Soprano),
Helen Donath (Soprano),
Peter Schreier (Tenor),
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Baritone),
Benno Kusche (Baritone)
Conductor:
Heinz Wallberg
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Munich Radio Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1829; Germany
Date of Recording: 1977
Language: German
19.
Die Abreise by Eugčne d' Albert
Performer:
Hermann Prey (Baritone),
Edda Moser (Soprano),
Peter Schreier (Tenor)
Conductor:
János Kulka
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Philharmonia Hungarica
Period: Romantic
Written: 1898; Germany
Date of Recording: 1978
Language: German
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: 
( 4 Customer Reviews )
A worse than waste of money July 25, 2013
By John GT M. (Ottawa, ON) See All My Reviews
"This set contains no documentation not even plot summaries let alone librettos or translations. A complete waste of money!"
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Delightful! January 2, 2013
By Stephen Schoeman (Westfield, NJ) See All My Reviews
"Eleven one-act and rarely performed if not most unknown operas by Mozart, Gluck, Schubert, Weber, Lortzing, Mendelssohn, and D'Albert. Delightful. Schubert's Die Vershworenen alone is worth the price! These are, as EMI Classic describes, mini operas. They are beautifully sung and performed by some of the outstanding singers and orchestra of the day. What could be nicer than to drive, say, to your favorite store or park not far away and while away your time listening to one of these masterpieces? The intriguing question is why works like these are not more widely performed and remain for the most part in the dust bin of some musical conservatory. It is clear though that Nicolai Gedda, Hermann Prey, Mady Mesple, and the other singers were having a splendid time singing these works. And you will too listening to them. These gems stand gloriously by themselves. The criticism that the CD set does not include librettos for each opera has some merit but is very much beside the point. Summaries can be found elsewhere and perhaps even the librettos. Do we turn down such magnificent music because we do not have the librettos? That listening to these works and the wonderful performances is a waste of time without the librettos? We should be grateful to EMI that it has released this set of 11 short operas! And we should be grateful that there are singers and orchestras and conductors and opera houses willing to give us opera. There is far too much criticism and much of it of a most pedantic kind! Neither the Moon will stop in its tracks nor the Sun grow dark if the tenor does not hit that high C or the soprano is a bit too slow in her pacing or if the conductor takes this and not that tempo! We should feel privileged to have this music and not consider it our right to have perfection. And perfection as we define it!"
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No Texts. No Translations. Useless. August 28, 2012
By Simon R Hughes (Mountain View, CA) See All My Reviews
"Would you go to a film in a foreign language with no subtitles? Of course not. But that is what EMI ask you to do here. Let's be clear, I've known of and wanted these recordings for years, especially the Schubert, Mendelssohn and Weber, and of course the casting leaves nothing to be desired. However, without proper documentation this release is utterly useless to all non-speakers of German. Most of the items are obscure and there is very little chance of obtaining the texts and translations by other means, for example, from old LP sets. It isn't so hard to employ a professional to make translations from scratch and I personally would be willing to pay to download them from EMI's website. As it is, I shall be keeping my money firmly in my pocket."
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