Zemlinsky: A Florentine Tragedy Christopher Maltman, Rachael Wilson, Benjamin Bruns, Münchner Rundfunkorchester & Patrick Hahn

• Alexander Zemlinsky (1871 - 1942): Vorspiel:
• 1Zemlinsky: Vorspiel04:25
• Zemlinsky: So langsam, Weib? (Simone, Bianca):
• 2Zemlinsky: So langsam, Weib? (Simone, Bianca)      02:17
• Ich heiße Guido Bardi (Guido, Simone):
• 3Zemlinsky: Ich heiße Guido Bardi (Guido, Simone)02:32
• Wo ist mein Bündel? (Simone):
• 4Zemlinsky: Wo ist mein Bündel? (Simone)01:55
• Wackrer Simone, genug, ich bitte Euch (Guido, Simone):
• 5Zemlinsky: Wackrer Simone, genug, ich bitte Euch (Guido, Simone)02:50
• Bianca, sag, stünde nicht dies kostbar edle Kleid dem Prinzen Guido gut? (Simone, Bianca, Guido):
• 6Zemlinsky: Bianca, sag, stünde nicht dies kostbar edle Kleid dem Prinzen Guido gut? (Simone, Bianca, Guido)03:00
• Wie, wenn ich die weiße Bianca forderte? (Guido, Simone, Bianca):
• 7Zemlinsky: Wie, wenn ich die weiße Bianca forderte? (Guido, Simone, Bianca)00:57
• Spinn ein Kleid, getaucht in Purpur (Simone, Bianca):
• 8Zemlinsky: Spinn ein Kleid, getaucht in Purpur (Simone, Bianca)02:03
• Was gibt es Neues, mein Prinz? (Simone, Guido, Bianca):
• 9Zemlinsky: Was gibt es Neues, mein Prinz? (Simone, Guido, Bianca)05:05
• Wie er gleich einem schalen Krämer spricht! (Bianca, Guido, Simone):
• 10Zemlinsky: Wie er gleich einem schalen Krämer spricht! (Bianca, Guido, Simone)03:26
• Genug! (Simone, Guido):
• 11Zemlinsky: Genug! (Simone, Guido)03:07
• In einem Kerker schmachtet meine Seele (Simone, Guido):
• 12Zemlinsky: In einem Kerker schmachtet meine Seele (Simone, Guido)02:07
• Was meint der Fleck hier auf dem Tuch? (Simone, Guido):
• 13Zemlinsky: Was meint der Fleck hier auf dem Tuch? (Simone, Guido)02:14
• Holdsel'ge Bianca, der schale Krämer langweilt mich (Guido, Bianca):
• 14Zemlinsky: Holdsel'ge Bianca, der schale Krämer langweilt mich (Guido, Bianca)06:00
• Simone, jetzt muss ich nach Hause gehen! (Guido, Simone):
• 15Zemlinsky: Simone, jetzt muss ich nach Hause gehen! (Guido, Simone)01:51
• Ei, welch ein Schwert! (Simone, Guido):
• 16Zemlinsky: Ei, welch ein Schwert! (Simone, Guido)02:20
• Bianca, hol mein Schwert! (Simone, Bianca, Guido):
• 17Zemlinsky: Bianca, hol mein Schwert! (Simone, Bianca, Guido)          03:15
• Und jetzt zu dir! (Simone, Bianca):
• 18Zemlinsky: Und jetzt zu dir! (Simone, Bianca)02:31
• Overture „Eine florentinische Tragödie“ (concert version) (Live):
• 19Zemlinsky: Overture „Eine florentinische Tragödie“ (concert version) (Live)05:09
• Total Runtime57:04

Info for Zemlinsky: A Florentine Tragedy

Guido Bardi, the son of the Duke of Florence, kneels before Bianca, the wife of the rich merchant Simone, and holds her hands. Simone enters the room, having returned early from a business trip. - The very beginning of Alexander Zemlinsky's one-act opera based on Oscar Wilde's "A Florentine Tragedy" in the German translation by Max Meyerfeld shows the conflict from which the tragedy arises. The stage work by the Austrian composer, who was forgotten for many decades, had its world premiere on 30 January 1917 in Stuttgart and was not performed again until 1977.

This BR-KLASSIK album documents the Munich premiere with the Munich Radio Orchestra conducted by Patrick Hahn, which was recorded live in the Prinzregententheater on 27 November 2022.

With the "Florentine Tragedy", Zemlinsky leaned comparatively late, but by no means out of time, on the Renaissance and one-act fashions of the turn of the century. Richard Strauss had made his mark in this form with "Salome" and "Elektra", with Oscar Wilde as the author of the literary model for "Salome". Zemlinsky seems to have taken the comparison with Strauss head-on from the very first notes. An "upbeat fanfare" provides the prelude to an orchestral introduction that can easily be interpreted as a musical depiction of the love play. During the transition to the actual action on stage, Zemlinsky switches to a sombre minor-key atmosphere. With Simone's appearance - as the music suggests - it is already clear that the plot cannot end in anything other than tragedy. It is only unclear for whom... In the Munich premiere of Zemlinsky's "A Florentine Tragedy", Rachael Wilson (mezzo-soprano) interpreted Bianca, Benjamin Bruns (tenor) Prince Guido Bardi and Christopher Maltman (baritone) the merchant Simone. The Munich Radio Orchestra will perform under the direction of the young conductor Patrick Hahn. The 27-year-old Austrian, who has been the youngest GMD in the German-speaking world in Wuppertal since 2021, was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the MRO last year. - Alexander Zemlinsky's one-act opera "Eine florentinische Tragödie" as a live recording of the Munich premiere from 27 November 2022

Top-class cast with Rachael Wilson (mezzo-soprano), Benjamin Bruns (tenor) and Christopher Maltman (baritone) as well as the Munich Radio Orchestra under the direction of the young Austrian conductor Patrick Hahn - Following the enthusiastically received recording of Viktor Ullmann's chamber opera "Der Kaiser von Atlantis" (BR-KLASSIK 900339), this is the second opera from the early 20th century to be interpreted by Patrick Hahn as principal guest conductor of the MRO. This is the second opera of the early 20th century that Patrick Hahn has interpreted as principal guest conductor of the MRO - a lively live atmosphere with the special acoustics of Munich's Prinzregententheater.

Rachel Wilson, mezzo-soprano
Benjamin Bruns, tenor
Christopher Maltman, baritone
Munich Radio Orchestra
Patrick Hahn, conductor

Patrick Hahn
Conductor, composer and pianist Patrick Hahn was born in 1995 in Graz, Austria and has already established himself as one of the most promising artists of his generation. Patrick’s international presence has grown exponentially in recent seasons in both the concert hall and opera house, with important engagements including dates with the Münchner Philharmoniker, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Wiener Symphoniker and Semperoper Dresden. From the season 2021/22 he has taken up the position of General Music Director of the Wuppertaler Bühnen und Sinfonieorchester GmbH, becoming the youngest GMD in Germany. He currently also holds the position of Principal Guest Conductor of both the Munich Radio Orchesta as well as the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

As conductor, he has performed with major orchestras and opera houses including the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir, Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, DSO - Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne, Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, as well as Dutch National Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, Zurich Opera and Frankfurt Opera. From 2021 until 2023 he has served as Principal Guest Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Borusan İstanbul Philharmonic Orchestra. Within the field of contemporary music he has a close relationship with Klangforum Wien.

As a pianist, he performed with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg or as a Lied accompanist in the Vienna Musikverein.

Next to his studies in piano and conducting at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, he was invited to master classes with Kurt Masur, Bernard Haitink, and as a Conducting Fellow to the Aspen Music Festival and the Tanglewood Music Center.

Patrick’s first composition was an opera, Die Frittatensuppe, which he premiered in 2008. In 2013 he was awarded the 2nd prize from 170 submissions worldwide for his composition Ameraustrica at the 2013 Penfield Music Commission Project Contest (New York, USA). As a composer and arranger he has published music with Tierolff Muziekcentrale (Roosendaal, The Netherlands) as well as Helbling (Innsbruck, Austria).

Aside from his work in classical music, Patrick has a keen interest in both cabaret-songs, by the Austrian satirist and composer Georg Kreisler, as well as in jazz music, having received awards as a pianist at jazz festivals such as Chicago, and the ‘Outstanding Soloist Award’ from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse as the best jazz pianist of the 37th Annual Jazz Festival.

Booklet for Zemlinsky: A Florentine Tragedy