Cyrill Kistler (1848-1907)

[Reverie]

My orchestration of the Prelude to Act III of Kunihild.

It's based on a wind band score so I don't know how accurate everything is. However, I think it's a fair realisation. I hope Cyril doesn't turn too hastily in his grave.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvs1H47DQ90&feature=youtu.be

[Alan Howe]

It's gorgeous! Very well done!

[Gareth Vaughan]

Bravo, sir! Splendid. Maybe one day we will hear the whole opera - one lives in hope.

[semloh]

Hear, hear! Thanks, Reverie! 

[Mark Thomas]

Sounds rather Tristanesque. Splendid work, thanks.

[Gareth Vaughan]

The influence of Wagner is very clear.

[Alan Howe]

It's roughly contemporary with Parsifal.

[Reverie]

Kistler's manuscripts appear to survive in his adopted hometown of Bad Kissingen. This site created in 2007 to commemorate the centenary of Kistler's death provides a brief description of the holdings and gives contact information.  It's not clear to me if the manuscripts are still held by the family (Klaus Kistler is listed as one of the contacts) or by the municipal/state archives.


I have attempted to contact these sites with no success. I wonder if the score of Kunihild (the opera) acually exisits?  Was this Prelude just a "one off". I read somewhere it was based on a scant vocal score and adapted by the aforementioned American band leader. The whole saga is quite mystifying. A challenge for the detectives that lurk here maybe?

[Reverie]

Sorry, the link is here:  http://www.cyrill-kistler.de/

[eschiss1]

which bandleader again? the full score to act 3 was published around 1890 by Simon of Berlin.

[Reverie]

Robert Barr

https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/kunihild-prelude-to-third-act-sheet-music/5648340

I also found this in an obscure US site:

"And he (Kistler) does have one plus to history -- it was a performance of his opera Eulenspiegel that inspired Richard Strauss to write his tone-poem.

What I hear in that prelude, incidentally, isn't Lohengrin but Rienzi, lifted wholesale!

[Gareth Vaughan]

What I hear in that prelude, incidentally, isn't Lohengrin but Rienzi, lifted wholesale!

Spot on.

[Alan Howe]

Grand larceny, eh?

[eschiss1]

that looks like a band arrangement by Robert Barr. What about it? The full orchestral prelude score is still at Fleisher, far as I know. It is not a surprise that they are not loaning things out right now though.

[Wheesht]

@Reverie: I have attempted to contact these sites with no success.

I wrote to the city archives of Bad Kissingen yesterday, and today (!) the reply came from the department of culture. While they do have documents relating to Kistler, the majority of documents and manuscripts is held privately by Klaus Kistler, whose private website this is http://www.cyrill-kistler.de/. So Mr Kistler is the person to try and contact again.