Feuersnot- Strauss's Second Opera

[Superhorn]

  I recently took out what is so far the only commercial studio recording of the rarely-heard but delightful second opera of Richard Strauss , Feuersnot (Fire emergency , the title is very difficult to translate adequately ) from my library, which has recently aquired a large number of classical CDs,including many complete opera recordings.
  I don't remember the name of the record label because it's an obscure one,
but the two leading singers are Bernd Weikl and Julia Varady (Mrs. Fischer-Dieskau), and Heinz Fricke conducts the munich Radio orchestra(not the same as the Bavarian Radio symphony).
  The opera is set in medieval Munich and the libretto by Hans von Wolzogen makes use of an often impenetrable Bavarian dialect.
  The story takes place at the time of the traditional beltrane fire festival , and concerns a young sorceror named Kunrad who wants to win the love of the pretty but standoffish mayor's daughter .  She rejects him when he tries to use a rope to get into his room and leaves him there to receive a public humiliation. But he causes a fire famine(Feuersnot) where all the fires in town go out, and manages to win her.
  The music is so melodious ,lilting and witty one wonders why this opera has been neglected for so long. Any one who loves Der Rosenkavalier, Ariadne, Arabella and Capriccio should find this opera very appealing.
  The entire cast is excellent, as is the orchestra, and Heinz Fricke, whose conducting I was not previously familiar with, leads the whole entrprise with both panache and affection.
   Don't miss this if you love the Strauss operas. Unfortunately, the set comes with the original German libretto but no English translation, and the text is written in miniscule lettering.
  Fortunately,I know German well, but the libretto even comes with standard German translation of words in Bavarian dialect ! I had to use a magnifying paper to read it. But that's no reason not to hear this splendid recording.










                                                                                        



 

[Lethevich]

Thanks for the inspiration! I had avoided the early two operas partly due to a perceived lack of adequate performances, but mostly as I didn't want take the risk of them being bad. Even the libretto sounds typically Strauss in its symbolistic weirdness. This one sounds well worth a listen.