Messages

Szymanowski's "Concert Overture" op. 12 is the best Richard Strauss plagiarization I know (i.e. even better than Elgar's "In the South").

I also find the DVD highly enjoyable and like this opera (in contrast to many other Siegfried Wagner operas).

Hard to tell after listening to the CD only once. For my ears, the voice of Pal Hermann does not sound very individual (although laboured). The two orchestral works have been orchestrated/reconstructed/composed Fabio Conti - maybe he is the person to blame here; in any case, the orchestration sounds rather clumsy. But also the string and the piano pieces on me made the impression that they will not make any impression on me after listening more often. But I will keep trying.

I just heard the CD and I am not at all impressed by the music...

Not to forget the recordings Rickenbacher/1998 (cpo) and Zillig 1952.

And judging by these excerpts, the tenor is actually not at all listenable. A small, quavering voice quite off-pitch and with horrible German (or the like) pronunciation:
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8893603--schreker-der-ferne-klang

I have attended this performance and the tenor was absolutely horrible - one cannot say that he sang any correct notes (or sang at all). It comes as a big suprise for me to see this out on cd - I have all commercially Schreker recordings existing, but I will definitely not buy this one.

In my opinion, Falletta is much too polished and not at all sounding Russian. With respect to Naxos, I prefer the older recording by Johanos (the best 2nd movement of all!).

I have the CD and I love it!

Thanks Adriano for the recommendations. I only know the conductor Boulez with Mahler and never bothered to go any further; so I will try his Ravel!

Boulez is neither painful nor funny but - boring (also as conductor).

I am also rather disappointed by the CD. Technically, everything sounds ok, but there is a COMPLETE lack of atmosphere. E.g. the great "Festwalzer" does not at all sound like (the ironic version of) an opulent Viennese waltz, but more like a quite reserved English waltz.

I ordered it from jpc and received the package yesterday. So it seems that they have/had andvanced copies... I had this several times before.

Just listening to the CD - an embarrassing experience. This is a rather shallow piece which would have been wise to remain unsung.

It would be nice to have a "complete" Mlada - has it ever been tried to collect all the fragments and to create an approximation to what might have been the final outcome of the project?