OPERA BY CARL GOLDMARK

MERLIN - THE REDISCOVERY

The revival of the opera Merlin by the Austrian-Hungarian composer Carl Goldmark (1830-1915) is the focal point of a concert in the Regentenbau of the Bavarian spa resort Bad Kissingen. The unparalleled works of the - in his lifetime - eminently successful composer have been only rarely performed since his death. The conductor Gerd Schaller, with his passion for largely unknown works, will present the original version of Goldmark's Merlin on 19 April 2009 in cooperation with the Bavarian Radio, Studio Franken - Bayern 4 Klassik and the renowned Label Label PROFIL HÄNSSLER. The world première recording of this work, on the basis of this performance, will be issued on CD.

The opera Merlin, with its highly expressive and greatly varied tonal range, was first performed on 19 November 1886 at the Vienna State Opera, at that time the Vienna Court Opera. The opera was performed by the greatest opera houses in Europe and the new world, amongst them Prague, Dresden, Budapest, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Hanover and New York. The libretto was by the dramatist and journalist Siegfried Lipiner (1856-1911).

Goldmark is firmly rooted in the romantic tradition. His works have great persuasive power and show a particular predilection for depicting the depths of the dark and the eerie, and even the incredible and magical. The story of Merlin forms the basis of the romantic recollection of material from bygone times, fairytales, myths and stories. At the heart of the action is the fable of Merlin, the Druid and sage, prophet and magician, and advisor to King Arthur. In three acts, Goldmark captures the heroic character of the legendary figure of Merlin and the fairy-like Viviane's passionate love for him in wonderful, richly coloured music.

Goldmark was influenced by such apparently contradictory composers as Wagner and Mendelssohn, adding his own surprising innovations to the musical tradition of his time. His great models were, above all, Beethoven and Schumann. With the effective orchestration of his scores, he combined French opera with the tonal world of Richard Wagner and thus succeeded in developing an independent and highly individual style of composition, revealing important new facets of Romantic music in advance of his time.