A mere century ago, Franz Schreker was mentioned in the same breath as Richard Strauss, Korngold and Berg as one of Europe’s most important opera composers. In 1938 the Nazis put paid to all that by condemning his work as “entartete” (meaning degenerate) and after the war his exotic, late Romantic style was hardly flavour of the month. Recent decades have proved kinder however, and this new CD joins a healthy catalogue of recorded works.

For anyone used to the highly perfumed sexual psychodrama of Der Ferne Klang, this piece may come as a bit of a surprise. A late work, Der Schmied von Gent is set during the 16th-century Spanish occupation of Flanders and turns out to be a light-hearted folk opera. Our hero, Smee, is accused of overcharging the occupying forces and loses his business. To get it back he sells his soul to the devil and enjoys seven years of good fortune. After an act
 of kindness towards the Holy Family (who are in disguise, naturally), St Joseph grants him three wishes, enabling him to wriggle out of his enforced trip to Hell. Unable to enter Heaven either after his death, he sets up a pub outside the Pearly Gates until redeemed at last by his long suffering, virtuous wife.

All this is told in an engaging manner, full of ‘popular’ tunes transformed through the prism of Schreker’s individual musical style – imagine Humperdinck meets Hindemith. The excellent CPO studio recording is sensitively conducted by Frank Beerman and engineered so that the libretto comes across with maximum clarity. With his rich, focussed bass-baritone, Oliver Zwarg makes a fine Smee, relishing every moment of lovable roguery. This delightful rarity is well worth adding to your collection.