Franz Schreker’s 1909 Der Ferne Klang (The Faraway Sound) is a work of exquisite beauty for which he marshaled all the prodigious compositional skills at his disposal. One of the three operas on which Schreker’s fame rests (the other two being Der Shatzgräber and Die Gezeichneten), it tells the story of young Fritz who leaves his home and his beloved, Grete, to pursue a far-off sound that “haunts him and for which he must strive.” Act 2 takes place 10 years later as Fritz finds Grete (now called Greta) working in a “dance establishment” and rejects and denounces her for the prostitute she has become. In Act 3 another five years have passed, and Fritz, now a failed playwright, regrets his youthful rejection of love for his artistic ambitions. Upon encountering Grete yet again he at last hears the music he was seeking and dies in her arms. Naturally.
Okay, so it’s not exactly “plotty”. However, once you get past the libretto, you can savor much wonderful music, which is what really matters anyway. Schreker’s brilliantly constructed score sounds at times like a cross between Korngold and Puccini, especially in Act 3’s extended interlude. Elena Grigorescu breathes true life into Grete, and her pain and humiliation at Fritz’s betrayal is deeply felt. Thomas Harper’s Fritz sounds a little vapid in the first act–but then, so is the character. His thin tone seems challenged by his Act 3 tirade, but he’s quite convincing at the work’s conclusion. Michael Halász has clearly mastered the complex and multi-layered orchestral score, and the Hagen Philharmonic gives full realization to its beauties–all of this recorded in clear and vivid sound. This recording, originally issued on Marco Polo, is an irresistible bargain at the Naxos price. (Note: the libretto is in German only.) [9/4/2000]
