Search - Albert Lortzing, Staatskapelle Dresden, Chor des Leipziger Rundfunks Robert Heger, Peter Schreier, Gottlob Frick, Nicolai Gedda, Erika Köth Hermann Prey :: Lortzing - Zar und Zimmermann / Prey · Schreier · Frick · Gedda · Köth - Heger

Lortzing & Heger -- A Great Team

John Jobeless | Corte Madera, CA USA | 09/17/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Albert Lortzing (1801-1851) was a prolific composer of very tuneful German comic operas, of which "Zar und Zimmermann" is his generally acknowledged masterpiece. Lortzing also wrote the libretto, based on literary sources, for this and his other operas mentioned below. The German genre, known as 'spieloper', grew out of the 'singspiel' tradition of which Mozart's "Abduction from the Seraglio" is the best known example. Though a cousin to the Italian 'opera buffa' and the French 'opera comique' and the Spanish 'zarzuela', the German equivalent never traveled outside the German-speaking world with the success its cousins enjoyed outside their home countries. But such works are still popular at home.



Robert Heger was the leading proponent of 19th Century German light opera, among other things (he also excelled in Wagner), in the middle third of the 20th Century. Besides this gorgeous performance of the story of Tsar Peter the Great's early (1697-98) tour of Western Europe, Heger also left stellar recordings of Lortzing's "Undine" and "Der Wildschutz" with great singers the likes of Prey, Schreier, Frick, Gedda, Rothenberger and Wunderlich. Heger also conducted superior recorded performances of other 19th Century German gems such as Weber's "Der Freischutz", Nicolai's "Merry Wives of Windsor" and Flotow's "Martha".



All of these recordings are excellent performances of very entertaining works unknown to most people, even many opera lovers. Investigate and enjoy!"