History: From the end of 1817 until 1819 Louis Spohr was resident in Frankfurt as Director of opera, doing much to raise standards of performance: he revised and once again produced "Faust" and composed a new opera, "Zemire und Azor", having decided to abandon a libretto based on a tale by Apel after hearing that Weber was treating the same subject (this project resulted in "Der Freischutz"). Spohr had to approach a famous work that had already treated that very subject: an opera by Andre Gretry ("Zemire et Azor" (1771)), a piece that continued to enjoy popularity even in the different musical climate of Romanticism. The poet Ihlee undertook the task to prepare a libretto deriving from Gretry's text which was written by Marmontel. In essence, Ihlee's work was limited to a straightforward translation of the original; however, he also adapted the piece to the specific needs of Romantic opera, in particular, by adding a large-scale finale to Act I and by abandoning Gretry's sequence of ariettas and ariosos in favor of more elaborate and less frequent arias and ensembles. The first performance was given under the composer's direction on April 4, 1819, and from that moment on the opera went on the receive performances throughout Germany and remained at least on the fringes of the repertory during most of the 19th century.
Narrative: The libretto, the layout of the individual numbers and the distribution of voices among the roles is almost identical to those of the earlier work which is based itself on a variant of the fairytale as retold by Beaumont: having been shipwrecked in a storm, Sander (bass), a merchant, and his servant, Ali (tenor), find their way to a strange palace in the garden of which Sander plucks a rose for his daughter, Zemire (soprano), which promptly causes the beast-like Azor (tenor) to appear. He promises to let Sander go, if the latter can persuade one of his own daughters to take his place. Zemire agrees to save her father and is transported to the beast's palace; Azor, however, proves to be a most kind host, even allowing her to visit home again so long as she promises to come back to him. The delay in her return causes Azor great pain as he believes she has abandoned him. Only after she proclaims her love for the "beast", the fairy who had put a curse on him reverses the enchantment's effects, and the couple find their happiness. A classical fairytale, all in all.
Music: After hearing "Jessonda" I was much less enthusiastic about approaching the composer's other works, however, "Zemire" turned out to be such a delightful piece that I am already all too excited about finding Spohr's "Faust" which has been composed just several years before. There could not be a more striking contrast to the formalism and lack of passion that characterizes "Jessonda" than the lightness of "Zemire". Spohr still suffers the comparison with other composers, in this case, the names of Rossini, Boieldieu, Mendelssohn and Weber come to mind often but "Zemire" is a most delightful work on it own: while just like in "Jessonda" the orchestration is, as it is usual with German composers, richly drawn and often elaborate, "Zemire" also incorporates all the traditional virtues of Romantic opera that I found to be absent in the "masterwork", such as sustained melodies; concentrated movements; elegant vocal writing; and, most importantly, simple uninhibited musical charm. Spohr brings the characters alive in a series of traditional but consistently appealing musical numbers: I am unable to point out any particularly weak passages (though one critic's comment - Spohr's lack of ease with extensive coloratura lines (Azor's Act II aria) - is somewhat justified), as everything - Ali's buffoonish ariettas, the women's heavenly trio (mirrored by an earlier canonic terzettino for the men), Zemira's romanza and Azor's daringly ornamented lines, some sublime moments in the finale - is lovingly written and presented. It almost seems a travesty on Spohr's part that, while writing "Jessonda", he was seeking to destroy this appealing style which, as he himself proves in "Zemire", can work so well for opera in the right hands. To be honest, I actually prefer Spohr's version of the story to Gretry's opera the reliance on arias of which denies the work the opportunities for ensemble pieces which Spohr uses to great effect.
Recording: The present 1996 recording is a very attractive one, boasting fine playing by the Max-Bruch-Philharmonie under the direction of Anton Kolar and a dedicated, accomplished German cast headed by a clear-voiced and generally likable Zemire.
Sander - Johannes Schwarsky,
Ali - Hans-Jurgen Schopflin,
Azor - Michael Howard,
Zemire - Brigitte Roth,
Lisbe (soprano), Sander's second daughter - Sabine Blanchard,
Fatime (mezzo-soprano), Sander's third daughter - Gabriela Zamfirescu,
A fairy (speaking role) - Sabine von der Schulenburg,
Chor des Theaters Nordhausen.
Hope you'll enjoy :).
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And now we know where Disney got the story they called "Beauty and the Beast"
craigwalters 2 years ago
What a magnificent performance, is it period?
guerino07 2 years ago
C'est superbement beau! Merci à vous LindoroRossini
77Opera 2 years ago