Oberon will always be a problem work. Weber wrote it for a set of English theatrical conventions, in which music was relegated to a position supporting elaborate stage spectacle, that he only accepted for financial reasons. He planned to rewrite it on his return from England to Germany—but died the night before his departure. The result is a muddle, with some of his most beautiful music trapped in an unstageable format. No wonder there have been rescue operations, most of them no improvement on the original. The best is Mahler's, here recorded with a German text translated from the English by the version's original conductor in 1913, Gustav Brecher, and a new narration by Claus Henneberg replacing the spoken dialogue.
Since the record notes do not detail Mahler's contribution, let me summarize it. Alfred Roller had provided him with a new scenic layout, three scenes in Act 1, five each in Acts 2 and 3. He composed virtually nothing new, nor did he (as in the case of Weber's unfinished Die drei Pintos) add music from elsewhere. But some more music is helpful in sustaining musical continuity; so he added melodramas or some shortened arias recapitulating earlier music. Thus, a melodrama (No. 3a) accompanies Oberon's promise of help, with music from the overture; another (No. 8a) accompanies the meeting in the Caliph's palace between Reiza and Huon (I use the English spellings), also with music from the overture. This works well, as the theme of three rising notes, which stands for the magic of the horn, permeates the score in any case. Less successful is a re-use of Oberon's ''Fatal vow'' music (which describes his own anguish, in music presaging The Flying Dutchman) lamenting Huon's predicament but promising him reward for fidelity.
This is, then, a real collector's item. I wish it were possible to recommend it for other reasons. The cast really do not seem at ease, sometimes not with each other and occasionally not with the language. Ben Heppner is at his best in Huon's Prayer, but does not muster the heroics for the knightly arias (which here include the rarely heard ''I revel in hope and joy''); his tone can quaver under pressure, and he has difficulties with the part's range. Weber did not always write sympathetically for his singers in this opera, and Deborah Voigt seems flummoxed by a part that includes some tender, intimate arias (which she can do quite nicely) and ''Ocean! thou mighty monster'': she lacks the Wagnerian command here, and her voice is too easily submerged in the tossing waves of Weber's orchestra. Even Machiko Obata's Mermaid, placed at some distance, has trouble in keeping afloat. Delores Ziegler has a rather fuller tone, and neither she nor Dwayne Croft's Scherasmin really possess the sparkle for their roles. Oberon himself, Gary Lakes, strains at the vocal line. James Conlon's direction is secure, but rather short on delicacy and fantasy. In sum, to have Mahler's attempt at rescuing Oberon is very interesting; but for the best enjoyment of the music on records, collectors can stick to Kubelik's set, with Julia Hamari and Hermann Prey as Fatima and Scherasmin, Arleen Auger as the Mermaid, Placido Domingo as Huon, and Birgit Nilsson in full Wagnerian cry as Reiza.'