A careful blend of recitative, arioso and set piece, Euryanthe was Carl Maria von Weber’s second opera, first performed in 1823 (two years after the premiere of Der Freischütz) and based on an early 13th-century French romance with a libretto by Helmina von Chézy – the eccentric author of Schubert’s five-act Rosamunde.
The work is largely based on the then common opera theme of a husband driven to test his wife’s fidelity. Lysiart, Adolar’s secret rival, boasts that he can lead the latter’s betrothed Euryanthe astray – a claim to which each reacts by staking all his possessions on the outcome. Lysiart appears to have triumphed when Eglantine, jealously in love with Adolar, manages to unlock from Euryanthe a secret concerning Adolar’s dead sister, who will not find rest until the ring from which she drank poison is wet with tears; Adolar, distraught, abandons Euryanthe and gives up all his possessions. Things take a turn for the better, however, when Eglantine’s betrayal is uncovered by the king and his hunting party, who stumble upon an exhausted Euryanthe after she has just saved Adolar from a huge serpent. Alleging that Euryanthe has died, the king guilt-trips Eglantine at the ensuing peasant wedding into confessing her crime, whereupon she is fatally stabbed by an enraged Lysiart. Adolar is crazed with grief, but at this moment Euryanthe enters and the two are happily reunited.
Rarely staged because of its weak libretto, Euryanthe is nevertheless a groundbreaking work due to its repeated use of chromaticism for depicting evil characters – Weber was well ahead of his time in this respect, as music history would have to wait another 40 years before Wagner pursued the ‘dissolution of tonality’ on a similar scale in Tristan und Isolde. This recording, made in 1974, features a stellar cast (Nicolai Gedda and Jessye Norman sing the roles of Adolar and Euryanthe respectively) and is directed by esteemed Polish-born conductor Marek Janowski.
Other information:
- Recorded 29 June –7 July 1974, Lukaskirche, Dresden.
- A star-studded cast in this recording of one of most successful and popular German romantic operas, Weber’s Euryanthe: Jessey Norman in stellar form, legendary Nicolai Gedda, Siegfried Vogel, Rita Hunter, Tom Krause, and conducted by Marek Janowski, one of the most esteemed conductors of his generation, nowadays receiving great critical acclaim for his recordings of all Wagner operas.
- A gem from the Berlin Classics catalogue, the booklet contains liner notes and synopsis.
- Sung texts available on this page by clicking ‘Download booklet’ below the cover image (on release).
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act I: No. 1. Introduktion “Dem Frieden Heil!” (Chor)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act I: “Ernster Reigen”
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act I: Rezitativ “Mein Adolar! So fern dem heitern Reigen?” (König, Adolar, Lysiart)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act I: No. 2. Romanze “Unter blüh'nden Mandelbäumen” (Adolar)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act I: No. 3. Chor “Heil Euryanth', der Lieblichsten der Schönen!” - Rezitativ. “Ich trag' es nicht!” (Lysiart, Adolar, König)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act I: No. 4. Terzett mit Chor “Wohlan! Du kennst mein herrlich Eigentum” (Lysiart, Adolar, König, Männerchor)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act I: No. 5. Kavatine “Glöcklein im Tale” (Euryanthe)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act I: Rezitativ “So einsam bangend find' ich dich?” (Eglantine, Euryanthe)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act I: No. 6. Arie “O mein Leid ist unermessen” (Eglantine)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act I: Rezitativ “Freundin! Geliebte! An meine Brust” (Euryanthe, Eglantine)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act I: No. 7. Duett “Unter ist mein Stern gegangen” (Euryanthe, Eglantine)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act I: No. 8. Rezitativ und Arie “Betörte, die an meine Liebe glaubt” – “Er konnte mich um sie verschmähn!” (Eglantine)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act I: No. 9. Finale “Jubeltöne, Heldensöhne” (Chor, Euryanthe, Eglantine, Lysiart)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act I: No. 9. Finale “Fröhliche Klänge, Tänze, Gesänge” (Euryanthe, Chor, Eglantine, Rudolf, Lysiart)
Disk 2
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act II: No. 10. Szene und Arie “Wo berg' ich mich?” – “Schweigt, glüh'nden Sehnens wilde Triebe” (Lysiart)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act II: No. 11. Rezitativ “Der Gruft entronnen, atm' ich wieder” (Eglantine, Lysiart)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act II: No. 11. Duett “Komm denn, unser Leid zu rächen!” (Eglantine, Lysiart)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act II: No. 12. Arie “Wehen mir Lüfte Ruh'” (Adolar)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act II: No. 13. Duett “Hin nimm die Seele mein” (Euryanthe, Adolar)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act II: No. 14. Finale “Leuchtend füllt die Königshallen” (Männerchor, König, Euryanthe, Lysiart, Adolar)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act II: No. 14. Finale “Laß mich empor zum Lichte wallen” (Euryanthe, König, Lysiart, Adolar, Männerchor)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act II: No. 14. Finale “Verleih mein Recht mir” (Lysiart, König, Adolar, Euryanthe, Männerchor)
Disk 3
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act III: No. 15. Rezitativ “Hier weilest du? Hier darf ich ruh'n?” (Euryanthe, Adolar)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act III: No. 15. Duett “Wie liebt ich dich” (Adolar, Euryanthe)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act III: No. 16. Arioso und Szene “Schirmende Engelschar” (Euryanthe, Adolar)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act III: No. 17. Rezitativ “So bin ich nun verlassen” (Euryanthe)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act III: No. 17. Kavatine “Hier dicht am Quell” (Euryanthe)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act III: No. 18. Jägerchor “Die Tale dampfen, die Höhen glüh'n” (Männerchor) - Rezitativ “O seht! Die Schlang' erlegt von starker Hand!” (König, Männerchor)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act III: No. 19. Duett mit Chor “Laßt mich hier in Ruh' erblassen” (Euryanthe, König, Männerchor)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act III: No. 20. Arie mit Chor “Zu ihm! O weilet nicht!” (Euryanthe, Männerchor)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act III: No. 21. Szene mit Chor “Pas de cinq” (Ballettmusik)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act III: No. 21. Szene mit Chor “Der Mai bringt frische Rosen dar” (Chor, Bertha, Rudolf, Adolar)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act III: No. 22. Solo mit Chor “Vernichte kühn das Werk der Tücke” (Chor, Adolar)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act III: No. 23. Hochzeitsmarsch, Szene und Chor “Das Frevlerpaar! Weh diesem Bunde!” (Chor, Adolar, Eglantine, Lysiart)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act III: No. 24. Duett mit Chor “Trotze nicht! Vermessener!” (Chor, Lysiart, Adolar)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act III: No. 25. Finale “Laßt ruh'n das Schwert!” (König, Adolar, Eglantine, Chor, Lysiart, Euryanthe)
Carl Maria Von Weber: Euryanthe, Act III: No. 25. Finale, Duett mit Chor “Hin nimm die Seele mein” (Euryanthe, Adolar, Chor)
