Oberon
Music by Carl Maria von Weber · libretto by James Planché · premiered 1826 · at Royal Opera House
Oberon, or The Elf-King's Oath (J. 306) is a 3-act romantic opera with spoken dialogue composed in 1825–26 by Carl Maria von Weber. The only English opera ever set by Weber, the libretto by James Robinson Planché was based on the German poem Oberon by Christoph Martin Wieland, which itself was based on the epic romance Huon de Bordeaux, a French medieval tale. It was premiered in London on 12 April 1826. Against his doctor's advice, Weber undertook the project commissioned by the actor-impresario Charles Kemble for financial reasons. Having been offered the choice of Faust or Oberon as subject matter, he travelled to London to complete the music, learning English to be better able to follow the libretto, before the premiere of the opera. However, the pressure of rehearsals, social engagements and composing extra numbers destroyed his health, and Weber died in London on 5 June 1826. The autograph manuscript of the opera was donated by Emperor Alexander II to the National Library of Russia, where it is currently preserved.
Text from the Wikipedia article "Oberon (Weber)", licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
About the Composer
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (c. 18 November 1786 – 5 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and critic in the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Best known for his operas, he was a crucial figure in the development of German Romantische Oper (German Romantic opera). Throughout his youth, his father, Franz Anton, relentlessly moved the family between Hamburg, Salzburg, Freiberg, Augsburg and Vienna. Consequently, he studied with many teachers—his father, Johann Peter Heuschkel, Michael Haydn, Giovanni Valesi, Johann Nepomuk Kalcher, and Georg Joseph Vogler—under whose supervision he composed four operas, none of which survive complete. He had…
Text from the Wikipedia article "Carl Maria von Weber", licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Other Operas by Carl Maria von Weber
- Abu Hassan (1810)
- Der Freischütz (1810)
- Euryanthe (1823)
- Die drei Pintos (1888)