Das Herz is Pfitzner's last opera, completed 16 years after his masterpiece Palestrina. It is more problem piece than masterpiece, scarcely heard since its high-profile double premiere in Munich under Knappertsbusch and Berlin under Furtwangler in November 1931. So this recording of a performance given in the Landestheater in Rudolstadt—a town you are likely to pass through if you drive from Bayreuth to Weimar—has both historical interest and curiosity value.
Das Herz is in the tradition of German operas on the Faustian theme of pacts with the devil: comparisons with such works as Der Freischutz and Busoni's Doktor Faust are unavoidable. In the original (the Rudolstadt version takes various liberties) the setting is around 1700, and the main character is a doctor, Daniel Athanasius, who is persuaded to use his magical powers to save the life of a young prince. He does this by agreeing with the devil Asmodi to stake a human heart against the prince's life for one year, after which the devil will claim the heart (that is, the life of its owner) and a replacement must be found if the prince is to continue to survive. In the end, of course, the doctor comes to grief, but his immortal soul is saved in the nick of time through the love of a Good Woman.
Such weird, improbable tales have never in themselves spelt ruin for an opera. The problems with Das Herz are unambiguously musical, and Pfitzner's besetting unevenness is especially clear in the short second act. This starts with an exceptionally feeble attempt to depict a kind of light-hearted fete champetre, with choral contributions which make Lohengrin's Bridal chorus seem the height of musical sophistication. Yet the scene develops into a confrontation between the doctor and the devil which packs a strong dramatic punch, and the kind of amorphous post-Wagnerian arioso which predominates elsewhere yields to something distinctive and convincing. Das Herz has just about enough of this more vigorous and exciting material to keep it on the operatic rails, but it's sad that the subject-matter required Pfitzner to attempt so much of the kind of open-hearted romantic eloquence which he could never manage satisfactorily.
This account has the strengths and weaknesses of a live recording. There's a lot of stage clatter, a generally dry acoustic and a balance that tends to favour the orchestra. Fortunately, the performance also has a genuine theatrical spark. The conductor drives the music forward with considerable skill, and the singers, though vocally variable, work well as a team. In particular, Andre Wenhold in the main role, and the two Americans, Roberta Cunningham and Beth Johanning, sustain high levels of musical quality and dramatic conviction. The libretto provided is in German only, but there is a full and accurate English synopsis.'