Gorenjski slavcek / Krainer Nachtigall (opera by Anton Foerster) on cpo

[eschiss1]

A recording (not the recording premiere) of the opera Gorenjski slavcek (ca.1895) by Anton Foerster, published by Glasbena matica, V Ljubljani, in Laibach in 1901, has been released today by cpo. (I think cpo's German translation of the opera's title is wrong, but who am I to correct anyone? Anyway, the score was originally published with the German title Krainer Nachtigall.)

[Mark Thomas]

Yet another Foerster? Josef Foerster is quite well known in our circles (the Easter Eve Symphony, four others and lots more besides), but there's also Alban Foerster (a fine Symphony No.1 appropriated by Hans Franke) and Adolph Foerster (composer of a fetching piano trio Serenade), and now we have a fourth. Anton was a 19th century Slovakian whose 1896 three-act opera opera Gorenjski slavček (The Nightingale of Gorenjska) details and sound bites here). clearly takes Smetana's The Bartered Bride as its model and is chock full of melody and Slavonic rhythms. Not very intellectually taxing, maybe, but none the worse for that.

[Holger]

Just for the record: Anton Foerster is Josef (Bohuslav) Foerster's uncle.