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Friedenstag
Premiered in 1938, Friedenstag stands as one of Richard Strauss’s most strikingly topical works. Set during the Thirty Years’ War, its call for reconciliation and peace inevitably resonated against the turbulent backdrop of Europe on the brink of World War II. Though written within a politically fraught climate, the opera’s pacifist message remains unmistakable, its final hymn to peace sounding as both urgent and sincere. This recording lends even more historical context, taking place just one year after the premiere with most of the same cast.
A young Hans Hotter is heard here with complete vocal assurance, entirely free of the woofy quality that would come to define his later career. In Viorica Ursuleac, Strauss had a muse whose luminous, effortlessly silvery soprano spurred his imagination to new heights, and her performance here offers ample evidence of that inspiration.
Track List
1. Hast was gesehn?
2. La rosa, che un bel fiore
3. Hunger!
4. Hunger! Brot!
5. Schweige! Hier in meiner Hand
6. Es sei! Doch hört
7. Zu Magdeburg in der Reiterschlacht
2. La rosa, che un bel fiore
3. Hunger!
4. Hunger! Brot!
5. Schweige! Hier in meiner Hand
6. Es sei! Doch hört
7. Zu Magdeburg in der Reiterschlacht
8. Nie war ich Kämpfer, nie ein Held
9. Wie? Niemand hier?
10. Maria, du? Verbieten musste ich
11. Erwünschtes Zeichen!
12. Sei uns gegrüsst, du neuer Herrscher
13. Wagt es zu denken, wagt zu vertrauen
9. Wie? Niemand hier?
10. Maria, du? Verbieten musste ich
11. Erwünschtes Zeichen!
12. Sei uns gegrüsst, du neuer Herrscher
13. Wagt es zu denken, wagt zu vertrauen
Customer Reviews
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5.0
Based on 1 review
✓ Top Reviewer
United States
Great Historic Performance in Good Enough Sound!
Though the sound here is not ideal it is adequate and the pitch of the tape is correct. I mention this first because I would urge anyone who wants to get to know this opera to check out one of the commercial recordings first. Having said that, I will admit I am very grateful that a copy of this performance survived WWII and is now available for future generations to hear and enjoy. It is not one of Strauss's more inspired works. Nothing really happens until the last ten minutes and the soprano doesn't make her entrance until nearly 35 minutes has passed. Nevertheless like all Strauss operas it has its moments and the cast here (several of whom participated in the world premiere less than a year earlier) is superb. Hotter's voice is steady and strong throughout, lighter in color than it would be by the 1950s. Ursuleac shows why Strauss admired her so much. She negotiates the many high Bs and Cs with flair and if her one D-flat isn't perfect we must remember this is a live performance. Alsen is excellent as the Sergeant as is the young Dermota as the Italian who longs for his homeland. Krauss leads with the authority of the composer who, reportedly, was in attendance for this performance.If you love Strauss and/or historic recordings this should be added to your collection.
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