In the 200th anniversary of Weber’s death, we performed his final work, Oberon, with renowned English conductor Sir Mark Elder who made his MCO debut at the BBC Proms in London.
Weber Oberon
Monteverdi Choir
Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique
Sir Mark Elder conductor
Emma Doherty director
This seminal opera was premiered in April 1826 at Covent Garden Theatre with Weber conducting. Weeks later the composer died of tuberculosis, at the age of just 39, leaving an operatic legacy – Der Freischütz, Euryanthe, and finally Oberon – that shaped the future of German Romantic opera.
Oberon is a work of magic and chivalry: enchanted horns, glittering fairy choruses, ocean storms and ardent love duets combining in a narrative that leaps from Bordeaux to Baghdad. Encompassing this fanciful plot is a score of radiant beauty: presaging Wagner and his leitmotif whilst drawing on wide-ranging traditions – the German Singspiel of Mozart, the English semi-opera of Purcell, and Weber’s longstanding interest in the music of non-Western cultures.
With a distinguished cast, newly-commissioned narration, and dramatic concert staging, the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique illuminated anew this English-language cornerstone of Romantic opera, two centuries after its London premiere.
Clockwise from left: Jannick Debus, Tamsin Greig, Sir Mark Elder, Rachael Wilson, Jennifer Davis, John Findon, Nicky Spence, J'Nai Bridges
"The chance to hear such a stylish complete performance won’t come round often."
The Times ★★★★
Related posts:
Weber: Oberon - reviews and reactions
© Chris Christodoulou
