Marschner: Der Vampyr

Heinrich Marschner (1795–1861) was a popular Early Romantic opera composer in Germany whose works disappeared for a few decades but have been successfully revived in recent times. Two of his operas, the proto-Wagnerian Hans Heiling, and the spooky Der Vampyr, have had frequent performances and recordings lately, but we do not think there is a better version of Der Vampyr than this one! Recorded live in Munich in 1974, the performance features a number of major singers, something rare in “non-standard” operas. The recorded sound is quite exceptional, too! First performed in 1828, Der Vampyr has a hair-raising Gothic plot about Lord Ruthven, a vampire much like Count Dracula, and his thirst for the blood of young females. The music is much in the vein or Mendelssohn or Weber. Wagner was a great admirer of Marschner and actually quotes one of his themes quite literally in Die Walküre.