Busoni's first mature opera occupied him for seven years (1905-11). He may not have been as natural a man of the theatre as Richard Strauss, but Die Brautwahl has plenty of fine music in it – at times foreshadowing the splendours of DoktorFaust. This 1992 Berlin production used a version made by Antony Beaumont, whose completion of Doktor Faust was a great success. As Beaumont explains in the booklet, we get only about two-thirds of the whole, and all aspects of the opera's subject-matter may not be ideally balanced. This 'fantastic comedy' is based on a story by E T A Hoffmann, with the climactic scene in which a bride is chosen (hence the title) leaning heavily on The Merchant of Venice. The action is set in Berlin, but there are echoes of Wagner's Nuremberg in the text and characterisation.
Musically, Busoni keeps his distance from Wagner, and the music is attractive, ranging widely in character.
This performance is a strong one, with a certain, untroublesome amount of stage noise. No doubt reflecting the staging, the recording occasionally recesses the singers, but the energy and command of Barenboim's conducting are never in doubt. The energy does not mean that anything is rushed, and the romantic episodes are warmly moulded, the scenes of fantasy properly attentive to matters of colour and texture.
Roman Trekel, a warm yet dramatically resonant baritone, makes a strong impression as Leonhard. He's the perfect foil to Graham Clark, who tackles the role of Thusman with relish, and with considerable technical skill in music which demands lyrical sensitivity as well as comic agility.