Schubert: Die Zwillingsbruder [A Pair of Twins]

EAN/UPC/ISBN Code 789368851720

Brand Bongiovanni


Schubert"s ninth opera (or rather, singspiel--in which music is interspersed with spoken dialog) will be most attractive to fans of Schubert"s other, equally unsuccessful stage works, such as Rosamunde. The libretto, a comedy in which a pair of twins complicate the lives of other simple country types, is set to distinctly noncomedic music; Schubert"s charming melodies, no matter how lovely, in no way reflect what is happening on the stage. The spoken German dialogue occupies nearly 20 minutes of this 55-minute CD, which may put off many potential listeners. The "live" performance is strong vocally, but rather fuzzy orchestrally. It is not helped by noticeably dull sonics. For some reason, the liner notes and jewel box both misidentify the work as D. 190 (D. is for Deutsch"s catalog of Schubert"s compositions). The correct attribution is D. 647. --Paul Turok