Recording Review #31: Lovable Lortzing

 

Albert Lortzing: Overtures, etc. Marc Gruber (hornist); Philipp Baader (trumpet player); Ernst Theis (conductor); WDR Funkhausorchester. CPO 555 626-2. 

It's easy to feel pity for Albert Lortzing (1801-1851). He was happily married and had 11 children, but 6 of them died in infancy. He scored some career successes, but his path was a long and winding one full of struggle and, ultimately, financial hardship. He died of a stroke in abject circumstances, not quite reaching 50 years of age. John Warrack's Grove Music article on him suggests that his full potential was unrealized before he passed. All of this would be sadder still if Lortzing had not nonetheless managed to establish a modest yet enduring place in music history as a composer of comic operas. These are still celebrated and performed in his native Germany. While few will mistake him for one of the more imposing figures of 19th-century music, his legacy seems solid all things considered. 

To be honest, I have never heard a Lortzing opera. As far as I am aware, this recording is my first exposure to his music at all. But despite these limitations, or maybe because of them, I had a good time listening. The works offered here are largely what you might expect (and what I expected): agreeable to the ear and nothing too earth-shattering. The two concert pieces, for horn/orchestra and trumpet/orchestra respectively, are pleasant and unassuming; they're exactly the kind of thing I grew up listening to on my local classical music radio station in the 1990s. (That's why I wrote "as far as I am aware" just now – it's highly likely I've heard these two pieces before and simply don't recall having done so.) 

The included opera overtures are mostly more of the same. Mostly. Because occasionally I did sit up and take greater notice. I can give two examples. The Overture to Die beiden Schützen is a little gem, home to gorgeous melodies and dramatic zest. The opera it belongs to was apparently one of Lortzing's first true successes. I'd now love to see a performance. The Overture to Hans Sachs is over twice as long as that to Die beiden Schützen. While not quite as gripping, it is home to some arresting lyrical themes...so much so that I kept listening to them on repeat. What absolutely lovely melody! Conservative in style, but quite memorable all the same. Again, I wonder very much about the operatic context, and in this case all the more so because of its eponymous character from my favorite Wagner opera. 

Once again has CPO rewarded my forays into lesser-known repertoire. The performances by Ernst Theis, the WDR Funkhausorchester, and Company are adroit at bringing out the charm and beauty of this music. I can now add Albert Lortzing to my lengthy (and growing) list of composers to explore further. So much music, so little time. 

Warmly Recommended