Udo Zimmermann : Weisse Rose Brilliant 95125 (Opera Collection) Recorded in 1988 in Dresden, Germany Grazyna Szklarecka, soprano Frank Schiller, baritone Musica Viva Ensemble Dresden Udo Zimmerman, conductor September 2015 Sung in German Contains notes on the opera and the composer

Scene   1: Gib Licht meinen Augen, oder ich entschlafe des Todes. Tief unter uns (Hans/Sophie)  Scene   2: Mein Herz ist wach (Sophie)  Scene   3: Schießt nicht! (Hans)  Scene   4: Daß es das gibt (Sophie/Hans)  Scene   5: Sie fahren in den Tod und singen noch und singen, singen, singen. Wo fahren die Wagen hin? (Sophie/Hans)  Scene   6: Wir haben eine Mauer aufgebaut (Hans)  Scene   7: Die Tür, die Tür schlägt zu (Sophie)  Scene   8: Sie haben ihr das Haar geschoren (Hans)  Scene   9: Einmal noch möchte ich mit dir durch unsre Wälder laufen. Der Himmel, unter dem wir standen (Sophie)  Scene 10: Ein Mann liegt regungslos, erfroren… (Hans/Sophie)  Scene 11: Interlude (orchestra)  Scene 12: Mein Gott, ich kann nichts anderes als stammeln  Scene 13: Nicht abseits stehn, weil es abseits kein Glück gibt. Mutter, Mutter! (Sophie/Hans)  Scene 14: Die Vision vom Ende. Die Sonne brennt (Sophie/Hans)  Scene 15: …und mein Feind könnte sagen, über den ward ich Herr. Gib Licht meinen Augen (Sophie/Hans)  Scene 16: Nicht Schweigen, nicht mehr schweigen (Hans/Sophie)

Telling the tragic true tale of brother and sister Hans and Sophie Scholl, Weiße Rose, with its stark storytelling and pared down orchestration, takes us back to Nazi Germany and to the prison cells of the doomed siblings hours before their execution. Condemned by the Nazis to die for leading a non-violent resistance group, Hans and Sophie reflect on their actions together in the tense and claustrophobic atmosphere of the jail. The opera takes place in real time, allowing the listener to become completely absorbed in the action. While the appalling outcome of the siblings’ fate is set in stone from the beginning, there are still marked elements of hope and faith in humanity, something that shines through right to the bitter end.
Udo Zimmermann spent three careful years working on the score. With a reduced ensemble of just 16 players, the music is expertly crafted to bring out diverse orchestral textures from the performers. Zimmermann himself is heard here conducting the work with the Musica Viva Ensemble Dresden, who offer superb support to the young soloists.
Udo Zimmermann’s opera Weisse Rose is one of the most powerful and moving dramatic works of the 20-th century. It features a brother and sister waiting their execution under Nazi prosecution, a bitter and poignant message of human courage and life force against brutal power and nihilism.
The scoring of two vocal soloists and 16 instrumentalists provides an extreme range of expression, from the wild dissonances and weird effects depicting the evil, and the elegiac moods of soul searching humanity and resignation.
An authoritative performance from 1986, conducted by the composer himself, with the two highly impressive vocal soloists Grazyna Szklarecka and Frank Schiller.
The booklet contains excellent liner notes, the libretto is available on www.brilliantclassics.com