(The) Philosopher's Stone
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: (composers) Various
Genre:
Opera
Label: Telarc
Magazine Review Date: 10/1999
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 149
Mastering:
Stereo
DDD
Catalogue Number: CD80508
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| (Der) Stein der Weisen, 'The Philosopher's Stone' |
Schack/Gerl, Composer
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer Johann Baptist Henneberg, Composer (composers) Various, Composer Alan Ewing, Eutifronte, Bass Boston Baroque Christopher Trakas, Sadik, Baritone Jane Giering, Lubanara, Soprano Judith Lovat, Nadine, Soprano Kevin Deas, Lubano, Bass Kurt Streit, Astromonte, Tenor Martin Pearlman, Conductor Paul Austin Kelly, Nadir, Tenor Sharon Baker, Genie, Soprano |
Author: Stanley Sadie
Some readers of Gramophone will no doubt remember, in 1997, the publicity surrounding the discovery of ‘new’ music by Mozart. It was then that David Buch, an American musicologist from Iowa, working on the scores in Hamburg that the Russians had purloined after the war and belatedly returned, stumbled on the words ‘von Mozart’ in the score of the compositely-written fairy-tale opera, Der Stein der Weisen (‘The philosophers’ stone). It has long been known that Mozart contributed music to this Singspiel, which was put on by Emanuel Schikaneder and his company in September 1790, just a year before Die Zauberflote, but it was generally presumed to be restricted to a single number, the duet ‘Nun, liebes Weibchen’ (K625/K592a). Dr Buch, however, found that Mozart’s name appears three times in the Hamburg score (which originated from Vienna), on this duet and on two sections of the Act 2 finale; other numbers are attributed to Johann Baptist Henneberg, a conductor in the company (ten pieces in all), to Benedikt Schack, the original Tamino (five pieces) to Franz Xaver Gerl, the original Sarastro (four pieces), and to Schikaneder himself (two pieces); several numbers are unattributed.
Listeners can amuse themselves guessing whether Mozart composed any further pieces, and also how far his contributions to the finale extended (they are followed by unattributed sections). My own guess would be that he did little beyond what is attributed, although there is certainly one passage in the finale that I am sure he wouldn’t have been embarrassed to own up to, including a brief but solemn and elevated choral number. We can be reasonably certain, I think, that the three attributions are correct: the one previously known is corroborated by an autograph in a Paris library and the other two have a Mozartian ring, even though the opening of the finale is to the words ‘Miau! Miau!’ (one of the characters has been turned into a cat). There is an assurance about them that most of the other numbers lack, and also some typical touches in the scoring. The Schikaneder company, however, were a very talented crew, and the music in the rest of the work is at worst competently written: there are some stormy, menacing pieces for the villainous god, Eutifronte, noble and exalted ones for the beneficient one, Astromonte, comic numbers for the men and pretty ones for the women, if rather too many in a jolly 6/8 meter, all in the vein that we know from Die Zauberflote, of which there are many pre-echoes. One can point to specific resemblances, as Martin Pearlman does in his talk on the extra CD here, but these aren’t particularly significant – what is interesting is that Mozart, a year later, with a libretto not so very much superior to the one here, was able to transmute the company’s newly established musical style into something capable of touching new depths and new areas of human feeling.
This recording is made by the artists who gave the work’s first modern performances, which I heard in Boston last autumn. Pearlman directs it with a firm hand, and does well to let us hear the orchestral detail so clearly. He draws sure singing from the choir. I can, however, imagine a more animated, more sharply characterized reading. Outstanding among the singers are Kurt Streit, strong and full-toned in Astromonte’s music, and Alan Ewing, a characterful bass who sings the evil Eutifronte with plenty of spirit. Kevin Deas shows a ripe voice in the Schikaneder, Papageno-ish role of Lubano; Paul Austin Kelly does well in most of Nadir’s music but is understandably strained by the very demanding display aria in Act 2, full of rapid music and going up to a top D. I enjoyed the contributions of Sharon Baker, whose glowing voice serves well for the Genie, and there is singing of charm from the two country girls. Nadine and Lubanara (even when feline), taken respectively by Judith Lovat and Jane Giering-De Haan. Mozartians will certainly want to hear this set, partly for the ‘new’ pieces, partly for the fascinating context it provides for Die Zauberflote. If they want to follow the libretto printed in the booklet, they will need a magnifying glass.'
Listeners can amuse themselves guessing whether Mozart composed any further pieces, and also how far his contributions to the finale extended (they are followed by unattributed sections). My own guess would be that he did little beyond what is attributed, although there is certainly one passage in the finale that I am sure he wouldn’t have been embarrassed to own up to, including a brief but solemn and elevated choral number. We can be reasonably certain, I think, that the three attributions are correct: the one previously known is corroborated by an autograph in a Paris library and the other two have a Mozartian ring, even though the opening of the finale is to the words ‘Miau! Miau!’ (one of the characters has been turned into a cat). There is an assurance about them that most of the other numbers lack, and also some typical touches in the scoring. The Schikaneder company, however, were a very talented crew, and the music in the rest of the work is at worst competently written: there are some stormy, menacing pieces for the villainous god, Eutifronte, noble and exalted ones for the beneficient one, Astromonte, comic numbers for the men and pretty ones for the women, if rather too many in a jolly 6/8 meter, all in the vein that we know from Die Zauberflote, of which there are many pre-echoes. One can point to specific resemblances, as Martin Pearlman does in his talk on the extra CD here, but these aren’t particularly significant – what is interesting is that Mozart, a year later, with a libretto not so very much superior to the one here, was able to transmute the company’s newly established musical style into something capable of touching new depths and new areas of human feeling.
This recording is made by the artists who gave the work’s first modern performances, which I heard in Boston last autumn. Pearlman directs it with a firm hand, and does well to let us hear the orchestral detail so clearly. He draws sure singing from the choir. I can, however, imagine a more animated, more sharply characterized reading. Outstanding among the singers are Kurt Streit, strong and full-toned in Astromonte’s music, and Alan Ewing, a characterful bass who sings the evil Eutifronte with plenty of spirit. Kevin Deas shows a ripe voice in the Schikaneder, Papageno-ish role of Lubano; Paul Austin Kelly does well in most of Nadir’s music but is understandably strained by the very demanding display aria in Act 2, full of rapid music and going up to a top D. I enjoyed the contributions of Sharon Baker, whose glowing voice serves well for the Genie, and there is singing of charm from the two country girls. Nadine and Lubanara (even when feline), taken respectively by Judith Lovat and Jane Giering-De Haan. Mozartians will certainly want to hear this set, partly for the ‘new’ pieces, partly for the fascinating context it provides for Die Zauberflote. If they want to follow the libretto printed in the booklet, they will need a magnifying glass.'
(The) Philosopher's Stone
Discover the world's largest classical music catalogue with Presto Music.
Gramophone Digital Club
- Digital Edition
- Digital Archive
- Reviews Database
- Full website access
From £8.75 / month
Subscribe
Gramophone Full Club
- Print Edition
- Digital Edition
- Digital Archive
- Reviews Database
- Full website access
From £11.00 / month
Subscribe
If you are a library, university or other organisation that would be interested in an institutional subscription to Gramophone please click here for further information.