In 1930 when the Vienna Opera commissioned composer Ernst Krenek to write a stage work of “historical content”, many composers were taking Schoenberg’s theory of composition with 12 tones very seriously, and Krenek was one of its leading exponents outside of the master’s immediate circle. The resulting Karl V is, according to the liner notes, the first completed full-length 12-tone opera (the better-known Lulu and Moses and Aaron lay unfinished). Unfortunately, it’s a stodgy, thorny, difficult piece with a too-symbolic libretto, a good example of the things many listeners find intolerable in atonal music. Perhaps an ingenious staging could bring this work to life, but this recording, as good and true as it is, cannot.
In the collaborations Brecht did with Weill (Krenek’s first use of this kind of theatre of symbols predates them) the ideas behind the theatre were the difficult part, so the music therefore was not. Krenek could write “light”, jazz-influenced scores à la Kurt Weill or Hans Eisler when he desired (as in his brilliant Jonny Spielt Auf), but here he chose the most self-serious, complex, hard-on-the-ear music to relay his story. The plot centers around a mostly fictional account of King Charles V, who mediated the original battle between church and state, between the papacy and reformation. It is not a linear story, but rather a series of sequences involving a myriad of characters all representing a particular belief (even God himself shows up in the form of a chorus)–and sadly, there is no summary in the booklet to aid you in wading through the convoluted plot.
The music, as refined and carefully planned as it is, fails to move, shock, or otherwise comment on the text or further the action. Long stretches of German dialog only serve to stunt the flow, even if you speak the language. There are many beautiful musical moments, such as the ravishing intermezzo that opens Act 2, but they are more symphonic than dramatic.
The recording itself is very well done, executed with great respect for the score. As the eponymous Karl, baritone David Pittman-Jennings executes a terrifyingly complex role with ease, grace, and the appropriate magnanimity. As Francis, Werner Hollweg does great justice to his role all around, shining especially in the sad aria from his sickbed. The Orchester der Beethovenhalle Bonn, under maestro Marc Soustrot, breathes and snaps along with Krenek’s technically challenging score, and the whole project is not only clearly and carefully recorded, but well packaged and presented. Even if the piece is not entirely successful, sounding dated rather than austere, it’s still worth preserving, and remains an important piece of history that those who have any investment in 20th century opera will not want to miss.
