Richard Flury: Die helle Nacht, Opera in Two Acts
Die helle Nacht (‘The Bright Night‘), the second opera by the Swiss composer Richard Flury (1896–1967), enjoyed only a single radio broadcast in 1935, the year of its completion, and then remained unheard until this recording. It is revealed as a passionate mixture of sexual jealousy, obsession and murderous revenge, until love and reason ultimately prevail. Flury responded with some of his most ardent music, poised between the late Romanticism of Richard Strauss and occasional more modernist touches that reveal an admiration for Alban Berg – with a further link to Vienna in Flury’s fondness for waltz rhythms.
Julia Sophie Wagner, soprano
Stephanie Bühlmann, soprano
Magnus Vigilius, tenor
Eric Stoklossa, tenor
Daniel Ochoa, baritone
Oğulcan Yılmaz, bass
Gärtnerplatz Kammerchor
Göttingen Symphony Orchestra
Paul Mann, conductor
Listen To This Recording:
-
CD1: Act 1
- Scene One
- Scene Two: Wo ist Solange, meine liebe Frau?
- Scene Three: Gott grüss Euch, lieber Mann
- Scene Four: In welcher Kirche wart Ihr?
- Scene Five: Herr beseht Euch diese Retorte
- Scene Six: Mag länger nicht mit ansehn
- Scene Seven: Lass uns entflieh’n
- Scene Eight: Allein, allein und doch gesellig stets
- Scene Nine
- Scene Nine: Sagt, wozu den Grund der Dinge suchen
- Scene Nine: Kommt, lasst uns trinken, Herr!
- Scene Nine: Ich lauschte Euch und fühl es als Beruf zu schweigen
- Scene Nine: Wie kam ich her, so sprecht, wie kam ich her?
- Scene Nine: Wär ich der Herzog, liess ich Kron’ und Thron
- Scene Nine: Und sie ist tugendhaft und gottesfürchtig.
- Scene Nine: So mag’s Euch nimmer gelingen
- Scene Nine: Nur eine Frau hab’ ich gekannt.
- Scene Nine: Mag sein, schon an die fünfzehn Jahr.
- Scene Nine: Da nun verriegelt ist das Tor
- Scene Nine: Solange, meine liebe Frau
- Scene Nine: Mit Haut und Haar
- Scene Ten: Wollt Euch mir entgegen neigen
- Scene Eleven: Wacht Ihr noch immer, kennt noch keine Rast
CD2: Act 2
FIRST RECORDING
MusicWeb International :
‘The singers handle their parts with confidence. There is not a weak link in the casting, even for the heldentenor role of the knight. The orchestra is very active, responding to every twist and turn of the action. The recording balances the orchestra and voices, neither burying the other. Toccata’s documentation is, as usual, without equal. […]
I would encourage curious listeners to investigate this opera.’
—Christopher Little, MusicWeb International
MusicWeb International :
‘Mann employs an impressive cast of singers. I would particularly single out the wonderful Julia Sophie Wagner for her expressive portrayal of Solange. The chorus is equally splendid and admirable in diction. Mann’s viscerally alive conducting adds to the success and allure of the performance, aided by a warm and vital recording.’
—Stephen Greenbank, MusicWeb International