Franz Schreker’s music seems to be undergoing a revival of sorts on disc. Most of the major operas have been recorded, though the best of them, Die Gezeichneten, has been disgracefully deleted by Decca, at least in the United States. Unfortunately, Schreker wrote very little orchestral music. Including overtures and interludes from the operas, there may be three or four discs worth, but the best thing about this state of affairs is that there’s very little duplication between existing recordings by Welser-Most, Conlon (both on EMI), and Ruzicka (Koch). For example, this recording includes only a single work, the Prelude to a Drama, that’s also featured on Conlon’s disc.
Direct comparison in the Prelude (based on music from Die Gezeichneten) between the two recordings reveals Conlon to be the slightly more detailed, surer guide to the composer’s luscious sound world than Vassily Sinaisky. Conlon also has a more transparent recording, though it’s not as rich or opulent as the Chandos. Frankly, it’s fun to have two new versions of this piece, surely one of the all-time great late-Romantic tone poems. As for the remainder of the disc, Sinaisky’s performances easily surpass the competition on Marco Polo, though not that offered on another Koch disc featuring Michael Gielen (and others) in fine performances of the Prelude to a Drama, the marvelous Chamber Symphony, the Valse lente, and Nachtstück.
Schreker’s music has everything: gorgeous tunes, drop-dead brilliant orchestration, and haunting, impressionistic harmonies. If you haven’t heard it, you really should. This disc and Conlon’s, plus Welser-Most’s recording of the Chamber Symphony, provide the perfect basis for a collection of his important orchestral works. If you love those, then get Ruzicka’s Koch disc, Gielen’s as a possible supplement, and then start on the operas. There’s a great composer here, and some of the most richly enjoyable music you’ll ever encounter.
