LORTZING: Der Wildschutz (Brilliant Opera Collection) [CD de audio] Rundfunkchor Berlin, Staatskapelle Berlin, Lortzing and Bern

Albert Lortzing was familiar with the stage from his early years, as both his parents were actors, and at the age of 18 he was also engaged as an actor and singer. His career was by no means stable, however; A competent composer, he divided his time between precarious kapellmeister positions, including a period at the Theater an der Wien, and had to return to acting to support himself. He died in poverty and misery in 1851, a few months after obtaining his third kapellmeister position. Today he is best remembered for his Singspiel Der Wildschütz, a writing masterpiece whose libretto the composer himself designed after Kotzebue's comedy Der Rehbock, oder Die schuldlosen Schuld bewußten, which had previously been published in 1816. Kotzebue is a whirlwind of character costumes, a piece whose flickering coquetry firmly touches on frivolity but manages to evade large-scale immorality, and Lortzing also added small touches from his own story, including the character of the butler Pancratius, whose role has traditionally been performed in Saxon dialect. The lasting appeal of Der Wildschütz, however, clearly rests on the score, with Lortzing's lightness, memorable and catchy melodies, and vivid characterization of comic situations giving his music a charm that seems as fresh as ever. An ardent admirer of Mozart, it is in Der Wildschütz, more than in any of his other operas, that Lortzing managed to write at least some numbers reminiscent of the great composer. This applies especially to his carefully crafted ensemble passages, which far outnumber the arias in terms of number and of which the much-admired Billiard Scene (Act 2) is undoubtedly the greatest. Lortzing's operas were the most performed in Germany for around 150 years, and listening to Der Wildschütz it is easy to understand why. Recorded in the early '80s and bringing together many of Germany's best singers of that era, this version remains one of the best to date.