WELCOME TO THE SCHREKER WEBSITE - AND HAPPY 125TH BIRTHDAY FRANZ SCHREKER!

March 23, 2003 marks the 125th anniversary of Franz Schreker's birth. As if in celebration of that event the 2002/2003 season is replete with notable Schreker productions and performances, new publications and recordings, exhibitions and symposia.

Performances and Broadcasts

New opera productions this season include "Das Spielwerk" in Darmstadt (28 September 2002), "Der Schatzgräber" in Frankfurt am Main (15 December 2002), and "Das Spielwerk und die Prinzessin" (based on a new edition of the original version the opera) in Kiel (26 January 2003). In addition there are revivals of last season's stunning productions of "Die Gezeichneten" (Stuttgart), "Der ferne Klang" (Berlin), and "Christophorus" (Kiel). In all, then, six productions of six operas, several of which will be carried over into next season. Our website provides performance dates, production photos, and selected reviews. For more information we have included website addresses of the respective opera houses.

Some of the numerous performances of Schreker's concert works are likewise listed on our website (additional listings can be found on links with Schreker's Viennese publisher, Universal Edition). Of particular note will be a first North American performance of Schreker's choral setting of the 116th Psalm (1900) with the National Cathedral Choir in Washington, D.C. on 18 May as well as the first performance of the new edition of the original version of the pantomime score "Der Geburtstag der Infantin" (1908) at the Alcobada Festival in Portugal on 1 June 2003.

The Kiel production of "Das Spielwerk und die Prinzessin" will be broadcast on the cable radio station DeutschlandRadio on 15 March 2003. On 21 March 2002 Ulrike Kienzle will present a special Schreker birthday documentary on NDR radio.

In the fall of 2001 the filmmaker Larissa Kneip, together with Boris von Haken made a Schreker documentary film featuring scenes from the Berlin Staatsoper production of "Der ferne Klang." To date this film has been broadcast on ARTE television in France and further broadcasts are pending.

Publications and Recordings

The Schreker Foundation has sponsored the publication of two major, hitherto unavailable Schreker scores. In December Universal Edition published a new edition of Schreker's 1908 pantomime, "Der Geburstag der Infantin" (based on Oscar Wilde's novella, "The Birthday of the Infanta"). This work, scored for chamber orchestra, is considerably longer than the better-known suite (scored for large orchestra) that Schreker published in 1923. You can find the foreword to this new edition along with background and historical photos elsewhere on the website.

The second major publication of the season, also published by Universal Edition, is a reconstruction of the first version of Schreker's third opera, "Das Spielwerk und die Prinzessin". This work was given its premiere in Frankfurt and Vienna 1913 but aroused such indignation that in 1915 Schreker revised the two- act opera into a single-act "Das Spielwerk" (which was given its premiere under Bruno Walter in 1920). The new edition of the original version of the opera is based on Schreker's autograph score as well as a newly discovered full score, which was engraved and corrected but never published. Now we can at last enjoy this work in its original form. It is a revelation, as those who have seen the Kiel production of the work can attest.

New recordings planned for 2003 include the Kiel productions of "Christophorus" and "Das Spielwerk und die Prinzessin"; they will join the previously released CD of "Flammen" on the German label CPO. Moreover, the British label Symposium will release a multiple-CD compilation of all of Schreker's known recordings, featuring both his own music and suites by Bizet and Grieg. See the website discography, continuously updated, for other currently available Schreker recordings.

Beginning in 2003 the Schreker website will feature articles relating to Schreker from a wide range of scholars in a variety of languages. The Schreker Foundation welcomes submissions of original articles or translations.

Exhibitions and Symposia

To coincide with the Frankfurt Opera production of "Der Schatzgräber" the Schreker Foundation, together with Patronat Verein der Frankfurter Oper, sponsored an exhibition entitled "Franz Schreker und Frankfurt" which documented the special relationship between the composer and the city that launched his career. Four Schreker operas, "Der ferne Klang," "Das Spielwerk und die Prinzessin," "Die Gezeichneten," and "Der Schatzgräber" were given their world premieres in Frankfurt, and addition Schreker productions included "Irrelohe" in 1924 and the now legendacy 1979 Hans Neuenfels/Michael Gielen production of "Die Gezeichneetn" gave significant impetus to the post-war Schreker revival. This exhibition, designed by the dramaturg Beate Maurer, includes newly discovered documents and photos and will soon be available on this website.

At the Berlin Staatsoper there will be an exhibition on Schreker's life and works to coincide with the revival there of "Der ferne Klang" on February 23, 2003. The exhibition, designed by the dramaturg Ralf Waldschmidt, gives an overview of Schreker's life and his special relationship with the Staatsoper unter den Linden, where "Der ferne Klang", featuring Maria Schreker and Richard Tauber, was one of that house's legendary productions of the 1920s.

At the Arnold Schoenberg Center in Vienna there will be an exhibition featuring Schoenberg's relationship to Mahler, Zemlinsky, and Schreker. Designed by Schoenberg Center archivist Therese Muxeneder, the exhibition, which opens May 12, explores the multiple threads linking these composers and features a number of items never before seen in public, including a painting Schoenberg "Hands" that the composer dedicated to Schreker in 1929. Watch the website for more information.

Kiel Schreker Week-End

On the 8th and 9th of February 2003 several dozen Schreker enthusiasts met in Kiel, Germany for the rare treat of back-to- back performances of "Christophorus" and "Das Spielwerk und die Prinzessin". Among those in attendance were Schreker Foundation director Christopher Hailey and board member Ulrike Kienzle, noted Schreker scholars Gösta Neuwirth and Eric Denut, and Schreker fans from the United States, Great Britain, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark, and from across Germany. The week-end included a roundtable discussion on the Kiel productions hosted by opera Intendant and stage director Kirsten Harms and chief dramaturg Andreas Meyer. Our thanks to the Kiel opera not only for their warm hospitality but for a remarkable series of productions.

Keep posted for coverage of other events of 2003! As always, we welcome your comments and contributions.

Christopher Hailey Director, Franz Schreker Foundation