Christopher Maltman, Rachael Wilson, Benjamin Bruns, Münchner Rundfunkorchester & Patrick Hahn – Zemlinsky: A Florentine Tragedy (2024) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

Christopher Maltman, Rachael Wilson, Benjamin Bruns, Münchner Rundfunkorchester & Patrick Hahn – Zemlinsky: A Florentine Tragedy (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 57:12 minutes | 581 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © BR-Klassik

Guido Bardi, the son of the Duke of Florence, kneels before Bianca, the wife of the rich merchant Simone, and holds her hands. Simone enters the room, having returned early from a business trip. – The very beginning of Alexander Zemlinsky’s one-act opera based on Oscar Wilde’s “A Florentine Tragedy” in the German translation by Max Meyerfeld shows the conflict from which the tragedy arises. The stage work by the Austrian composer, who was forgotten for many decades, had its world premiere on 30 January 1917 in Stuttgart and was not performed again until 1977.

This BR-KLASSIK album documents the Munich premiere with the Munich Radio Orchestra conducted by Patrick Hahn, which was recorded live in the Prinzregententheater on 27 November 2022.

With the “Florentine Tragedy”, Zemlinsky leaned comparatively late, but by no means out of time, on the Renaissance and one-act fashions of the turn of the century. Richard Strauss had made his mark in this form with “Salome” and “Elektra”, with Oscar Wilde as the author of the literary model for “Salome”. Zemlinsky seems to have taken the comparison with Strauss head-on from the very first notes. An “upbeat fanfare” provides the prelude to an orchestral introduction that can easily be interpreted as a musical depiction of the love play. During the transition to the actual action on stage, Zemlinsky switches to a sombre minor-key atmosphere. With Simone’s appearance – as the music suggests – it is already clear that the plot cannot end in anything other than tragedy. It is only unclear for whom… In the Munich premiere of Zemlinsky’s “A Florentine Tragedy”, Rachael Wilson (mezzo-soprano) interpreted Bianca, Benjamin Bruns (tenor) Prince Guido Bardi and Christopher Maltman (baritone) the merchant Simone. The Munich Radio Orchestra will perform under the direction of the young conductor Patrick Hahn. The 27-year-old Austrian, who has been the youngest GMD in the German-speaking world in Wuppertal since 2021, was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the MRO last year. – Alexander Zemlinsky’s one-act opera “Eine florentinische Tragödie” as a live recording of the Munich premiere from 27 November 2022

Top-class cast with Rachael Wilson (mezzo-soprano), Benjamin Bruns (tenor) and Christopher Maltman (baritone) as well as the Munich Radio Orchestra under the direction of the young Austrian conductor Patrick Hahn – Following the enthusiastically received recording of Viktor Ullmann’s chamber opera “Der Kaiser von Atlantis” (BR-KLASSIK 900339), this is the second opera from the early 20th century to be interpreted by Patrick Hahn as principal guest conductor of the MRO. This is the second opera of the early 20th century that Patrick Hahn has interpreted as principal guest conductor of the MRO – a lively live atmosphere with the special acoustics of Munich’s Prinzregententheater.

Tracklist:
01. Christopher Maltman, Rachael Wilson, Benjamin Bruns, Münchner Rundfunkorchester & Patrick Hahn – Zemlinsky: Vorspiel (04:25)
02. Christopher Maltman, Rachael Wilson, Benjamin Bruns, Münchner Rundfunkorchester & Patrick Hahn – Zemlinsky: So langsam, Weib? (Simone, Bianca)       (02:17)
03. Christopher Maltman, Rachael Wilson, Benjamin Bruns, Münchner Rundfunkorchester & Patrick Hahn – Zemlinsky: Ich heiße Guido Bardi (Guido, Simone) (02:32)
04. Christopher Maltman, Rachael Wilson, Benjamin Bruns, Münchner Rundfunkorchester & Patrick Hahn – Zemlinsky: Wo ist mein Bündel? (Simone) (01:55)
05. Christopher Maltman, Rachael Wilson, Benjamin Bruns, Münchner Rundfunkorchester & Patrick Hahn – Zemlinsky: Wackrer Simone, genug, ich bitte Euch (Guido, Simone) (02:50)
06. Christopher Maltman, Rachael Wilson, Benjamin Bruns, Münchner Rundfunkorchester & Patrick Hahn – Zemlinsky: Bianca, sag, stünde nicht dies kostbar edle Kleid dem Prinzen Guido gut? (Simone, Bianca, Guido) (03:00)
07. Christopher Maltman, Rachael Wilson, Benjamin Bruns, Münchner Rundfunkorchester & Patrick Hahn – Zemlinsky: Wie, wenn ich die weiße Bianca forderte? (Guido, Simone, Bianca) (00:57)
08. Christopher Maltman, Rachael Wilson, Benjamin Bruns, Münchner Rundfunkorchester & Patrick Hahn – Zemlinsky: Spinn ein Kleid, getaucht in Purpur (Simone, Bianca) (02:03)
09. Christopher Maltman, Rachael Wilson, Benjamin Bruns, Münchner Rundfunkorchester & Patrick Hahn – Zemlinsky: Was gibt es Neues, mein Prinz? (Simone, Guido, Bianca) (05:05)
10. Christopher Maltman, Rachael Wilson, Benjamin Bruns, Münchner Rundfunkorchester & Patrick Hahn – Zemlinsky: Wie er gleich einem schalen Krämer spricht! (Bianca, Guido, Simone) (03:26)
11. Christopher Maltman, Rachael Wilson, Benjamin Bruns, Münchner Rundfunkorchester & Patrick Hahn – Zemlinsky: Genug! (Simone, Guido) (03:07)
12. Christopher Maltman, Rachael Wilson, Benjamin Bruns, Münchner Rundfunkorchester & Patrick Hahn – Zemlinsky: In einem Kerker schmachtet meine Seele (Simone, Guido) (02:07)
13. Christopher Maltman, Rachael Wilson, Benjamin Bruns, Münchner Rundfunkorchester & Patrick Hahn – Zemlinsky: Was meint der Fleck hier auf dem Tuch? (Simone, Guido) (02:14)
14. Christopher Maltman, Rachael Wilson, Benjamin Bruns, Münchner Rundfunkorchester & Patrick Hahn – Zemlinsky: Holdsel’ge Bianca, der schale Krämer langweilt mich (Guido, Bianca) (06:00)
15. Christopher Maltman, Rachael Wilson, Benjamin Bruns, Münchner Rundfunkorchester & Patrick Hahn – Zemlinsky: Simone, jetzt muss ich nach Hause gehen! (Guido, Simone) (01:51)
16. Christopher Maltman, Rachael Wilson, Benjamin Bruns, Münchner Rundfunkorchester & Patrick Hahn – Zemlinsky: Ei, welch ein Schwert! (Simone, Guido) (02:20)
17. Christopher Maltman, Rachael Wilson, Benjamin Bruns, Münchner Rundfunkorchester & Patrick Hahn – Zemlinsky: Bianca, hol mein Schwert! (Simone, Bianca, Guido)           (03:15)
18. Christopher Maltman, Rachael Wilson, Benjamin Bruns, Münchner Rundfunkorchester & Patrick Hahn – Zemlinsky: Und jetzt zu dir! (Simone, Bianca) (02:31)
19. Christopher Maltman, Rachael Wilson, Benjamin Bruns, Münchner Rundfunkorchester & Patrick Hahn – Zemlinsky: Overture „Eine florentinische Tragödie“ (concert version) (Live) (05:09)

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