List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber
The German composer Carl Maria von Weber (1786–1826) is best known for his operas, of which he wrote 10 between 1798 and 1826. His first four exist in various states: Die Macht der Liebe und des Weins (comp. 1798) is completely lost; two fragments survive for Das Waldmädchen (1800); the libretto to Peter Schmoll und seine Nachbarn (1803) is lost; and only three numbers from Rübezahl (comp. 1804–05) survive. Weber's mature operas—Silvana (1810), Abu Hassan (1811), Der Freischütz (1821), Die drei Pintos (comp. 1820–21), Euryanthe (1823), Oberon (1826)—all survive intact; they were all performed within his lifetime, except Die drei Pintos which was posthumously completed by Gustav Mahler.[1][2] His contributions to the genre were crucial in the development of German Romantische Oper (German Romantic Opera) and its national identity,[3][4] exhibiting much influence on Richard Wagner.[5] Der Freischütz, his most famous and significant work, remains among the most revered German operas.[6]
After his family moved to
Weber's first operatic success came with Silvana,
List of operas
Period[b] | Title | Status | Genre | Acts | Librettist | Premiere | J.[c] Op. |
WeV[d] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Venue | ||||||||
1798 | Die Macht der Liebe und des Weins (The Power of Love and Wine)[24][e] |
Completely lost[f] | Singspiel | ? acts | Unknown | Unperformed | Anh. 6 | C.1 | |
1800 | Das Waldmädchen[g] (The Girl of the Forest)[9][h] |
Fragments[i] | Romantische Oper | 2 acts | Steinsberg | 24 November 1800 | Freiberg , Buttermarkt
|
Anh. 1 | C.2 |
1801–02[j] | Peter Schmoll und seine Nachbarn (Peter Schmoll and his Neighbours)[11] |
Dialogue lost | Singspiel?[k] | 2 acts | Türk after Cramer | March? 1803 | Augsburg | J. 8 Op. 8 |
C.3 |
1804–05[l] | Rübezahl | Fragments[m] | Opera | 2 acts | Rhode after Musäus | Unperformed | J. 44–6 |
C.4 | |
1808–10 | Silvana | Survived | Romantische Oper | 3 acts | Hiemer after Steinsberg[n] | 16 September 1810 | Frankfurt | J. 87 Score |
C.5 |
1810–11 | Abu Hassan | Survived | Singspiel | 1 act | Hiemer after One Thousand and One Nights | 4 June 1811 | Residenz, Munich | J. 106 Score |
C.6 |
1817–21[o] | Der Freischütz (The Freeshooter)[26] |
Survived | Romantische Oper | 3 acts | Kind after Apel and Laun | 18 June 1821 | Schauspielhaus, Berlin | J. 277 Op. 77 Score |
C.7 |
1820–21 | Die drei Pintos (The Three Pintos)[2] |
Incomplete Completed by Mahler 1887 |
Komische Oper | 3 acts | Hell after Seidel Revisions by Carl von Weber (text) and Mahler (music) |
20 January 1888 | Neues Stadt, Leipzig | Anh. 5 Score |
C.8 |
1822–23 | Euryanthe | Survived | Grosse Heroisch-Romantische Oper | 3 acts | Helmina after a 13th-century French romance[a] | 25 October 1823 | Kärntnertortheater, Vienna | J. 291 Op. 81 Score |
C.9 |
1825–26 | Oberon | Survived | Romantische Oper | 3 acts | Planché after Wieland[p] | 12 April 1826 | Royal Opera House, London | J. 306 Score |
C.10 |
References
Notes
- ^ a b An anonymous 13th-century French romance entitled: L'Histoire du très-noble et chevalereux prince Gérard, comte de Nevers et la très-virtueuse et très chaste princesse Euriant de Savoye, sa mye.[19]
- ^ Period during which the opera was written
- ^ Jähns; catalogue numbers of Weber's works as compiled by Friedrich Wilhelm Jähns in his Carl Maria von Weber in seinen Werken: chronologisch-thematisches Verzeichniss seiner sämtlichen Compositionen (1871).[23] Not all works—primarily those lost and not performed in his lifetime—have opus numbers.
- ^ Catalogue number from Carl-Maria-von-Weber-Gesamtausgabe, the critical edition of Weber's works. The links provided are to the online version of the Carl-Maria-von-Weber-Gesamtausgabe, a database of Weber's life and complete works
- ^ Alternatively translated as: The Force of Love and Wine[25]
- ^ Probably destroyed in a fire at the house of Johann Nepomuk Kalcher, Weber's teacher[7]
- ^ Also known as Das stumme Waldmädchen or Das Mädchen im Spessarter Wald
- ^ Alternatively translated as: The Forest Maiden[25]
- ^ Two fragments survive; the work was previously thought to be completely lost until 2000 when these fragments were discovered by Natalia Gubkina in the Russian archive of the Mariinsky State Theater.[11] Much of the music was probably reworked into Silvana.[7]
- ^ Weber revised the overture of Peter Schmoll und seine Nachbarn as the stand-alone piece Grande ouverture à plusieurs instruments in 1807.[21]
- ^ Morgan (2017, p. 14) lists it as a singspiel while Brown (2002a, "Works") does not even though it lists other works (e.g. Die Macht der Liebe und des Weins and Abu Hassan) as singspiels.
- ^ Weber revised the overture of Rübezahl as the stand-alone piece Der Beherrscher der Geister in 1801.[21]
- ^ Three nos. survive[21]
- ^ Hiemer based Silvana on Steinsberg's libretto for Weber's earlier opera, Das Waldmädchen.[14]
- ^ Morgan (2017, p. 104) notes that discussion for the work's conception may have begun as early as 1810.
- ^ Oberon is Weber's only opera with an English libretto.[20]
Citations
- ^ Morgan 2017, p. 50.
- ^ a b c Osborne 2007, p. 597.
- ^ Morgan 2017, pp. 103, 132.
- ^ Brown 2002a, "Introduction".
- ^ Warrack 1976, p. 29.
- ^ a b Brown 2002b.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Brown 2002a, "1. Life, 1786–1816".
- ^ Warrack 1976, p. 32.
- ^ a b c Morgan 2017, p. 9.
- ^ Warrack 1976, p. 36.
- ^ a b c Morgan 2017, p. 14.
- ^ Warrack 1976, pp. 54–55.
- ^ Warrack 1976, p. 86.
- ^ a b Morgan 2017, p. 27.
- ^ Morgan 2017, pp. 44, 60.
- ^ Osborne 2007, p. 595.
- ^ Morgan 2017, p. 135.
- ^ Brown 2002c.
- ^ Warrack 1976, p. 282.
- ^ a b c d Brown 2002a, "2. Life, 1817–26".
- ^ a b c d Brown 2002a, "Works".
- ^ Information is from Warrack (1976, p. 379) and Brown (2002a, "Works") unless otherwise noted.
- ^ Brown 2002a, "Bibliography".
- ^ Morgan 2017, p. 8.
- ^ a b Osborne 2007, p. 594.
- ^ Morgan 2017, p. 16.
Sources
- Brown, Clive (2002a) [1992]. "Weber, Carl Maria (Friedrich Ernst) von". ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membershiprequired)
- Brown, Clive (2002b) [1992]. "Freischütz, Der". ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membershiprequired)
- Brown, Clive (2002c) [1992]. "Drei Pintos, Die". ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membershiprequired)
- Morgan, Joseph E. (2017). Experiencing Carl Maria Von Weber:A Listener's Companion. Lanham: ISBN 978-1-4422-5557-9.
- ISBN 978-0-300-12373-9.
- ISBN 978-0-521-29121-7.