Hindemiths Die Harmonie der Welt

Wergo has just released a new recording of Hindemith's opera Die Harmonie der Welt, which I plan to order from MDT as soon as I can. This recording involves the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marek Janowksi. The HdW opera was planned as a kind of follow-up to Mathis der Maler and, despite the extreme difficulty of staging it, it may well prove to be Hindemith's greatest opera. Certainly the symphonies Mathis der Maler and Harmonie der Welt are among the most satisfying of his more ambitious, non-Gebrauchsmusik orchestral pieces. HdW was long neglected, compared to MdM but seems to be coming into its own.

news.ops.worldnet.att.net:

I almost hate to ask if there is an English-language libretto. Sort of like asking whether there is, in fact, any cheese in this shop.

Thanks for the heads-up. Let us know what you think of it.

In response to Matthew, from the Wergo web site:

Paul Hindemith: Die Harmonie der Welt

Der Höhepunkt zum 40-jährigen WERGO-Jubiläum und ein wesentlicher Baustein der großen Hindemith-Edition bei WERGO ist die Weltersteinspielung von Paul Hindemiths Kepler-Oper 'Die Harmonie der Welt', die jetzt als 3-CD-Box mit ausführlichem Werkkommentar => *und dreisprachigem Libretto* erschienen ist. Unter der Leitung von Marek Janowksi stehen neben dem Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester und dem Rundfunkchor Berlin namhafte Solisten für eine künstlerisch hervorragende Aufnahme.
http://www.schott-online.com/Shop/php/Proxy.php?purl=/ wergo/ (my emphasis). (One assumes one of the three languages is English).

news.ops.worldnet.att.net:

That would be nice. Thanks for doing the research.

To judge by MDT's price, it appears that the opera is being sold as three CDs for the price of two, meaning it can be purchased for under $40. The only earlier recording of the opera was of a concert performance of 1960 conducted by the composer and featuring, among others, soprano Evelyn Lear. That recording (Stradivarius STR10058) was of two hours duration (somewhat abridged for concert performance) and fit on two CDs with Hindemith's 1940 Cello Concerto taking up part of the second CD. There were notes in English but the libretto was in German only. In unabridged form the opera is just barely too long to fit on two CDs, so Wergo is offering it at a reduced price. It's good to hear that an English libretto is likely being provided. (A listing at jpc further suggests this.)