Description
Paul Hindemith's Mathis der Maler - Theater an der Wien by Naxos (2DVD)
UPC: 0747313569151
Product Features
- Title: Mathis der Maler
- Composer: Paul Hindemith
- Conductor: Bertrand de Billy
- Stage Director: Keith Warner
- Opera: Mathis der Maler (1938)
- Main Cast:Orchestra: Wiener Symphoniker
- Mathis: Wolfgang Koch
- Albrecht von Brandenburg: Kurt Streit
- Ursula: Manuela Uhl
- Hans Schwalb: Franz Grundheber
- Regina: Katerina Tretyakova
- Lorenz von Pommersfelden: Martin Snell
- Helfenstein’s Piper: Charles Reid
- Choir: Slovak Philharmonic Choir
- Chorus Master: Blanka Juhaňáková
- Language: German
- Subtitles: German, English, French, Japanese, Korean
- Region Code: Worldwide
- Aspect Ratio: NTSC 16:9
- Sound: PCM Stereo
- Running Time: 190 minutes
- Bonus Features:
- Behind-the-scenes footage
- Interviews with cast and creative team
Overview
Paul Hindemith's Mathis der Maler is a profound opera based on the life of the Renaissance painter Matthias Grünewald. This work, set during the German Peasants' War in the 16th century, explores the struggles of an artist in times of social turmoil, focusing on the tension between creative freedom and political repression. Hindemith's opera reflects the challenges of his own time, especially the rise of fascism, which led to the opera's ban in Nazi Germany.
This production, filmed at the Theater an der Wien in 2012, features Wolfgang Koch in the title role of Mathis, with Kurt Streit as Albrecht von Brandenburg and Manuela Uhl as Ursula. Bertrand de Billy conducts the Wiener Symphoniker and the Slovak Philharmonic Choir, creating a rich musical landscape that brings out the intensity of Hindemith’s score. Keith Warner’s stage direction highlights the opera’s themes of artistic struggle and sacrifice, set against the backdrop of historical upheaval.
Interesting Facts
- Mathis der Maler is Hindemith’s most famous opera and is often seen as a reflection of the political challenges he faced during his career, particularly under the Nazi regime.
- The opera was inspired by Matthias Grünewald’s Isenheim Altarpiece, a masterpiece that explores themes of suffering, salvation, and artistic expression.
- The work consists of seven tableaux, and Hindemith wrote both the music and the libretto, making it a deeply personal composition.
- The opera was banned in Germany during the 1930s due to its perceived subversive message, though it was performed in Switzerland and later gained recognition worldwide.
Track Listing
- Act 1: The Struggle of the Peasants and Mathis’s Dilemma
- Act 2: Mathis’s Vision of Art and Sacrifice
- Act 3: The Final Crisis and Mathis’s Redemption
Publishers
- Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd in collaboration with Theater an der Wien
Hashtags
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