Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari is best known for his comic operas. With this reputation established, the appearance of Das Himmelskleid in 1927, with its ‘symbolical twilight world… that rises musically to religious greatness and a world of dreams’ was a surprise for critics of the day. The narrative is a parable of a young princess who is born with the ‘Garment of Heaven’, but she forgets this true gift in her greedy pursuit of wealth and power. Das Himmelskleid is perhaps the most profoundly mature of Wolf-Ferrari’s operas, with an amazing sensitivity and feeling for sound and colour that were never bettered.

This 3-disc set from the mid-1990s is a re-release from our Marco Polo label (822326163). This is a recording that has lost none of its sparkle over the years, and it remains the only commercially available recording of this significant work. With its striking combination of Wagnerian heft and Italianate lightness this work is overdue for a return to the mainstream. ‘The strength of the Hagen ensemble is revealed right down to the choruses of Air Spirits, Moon-Maidens and Children of the Sun, and Gerhard Markson conducts with a feeling for the idiom’ (BBC Music Magazine).

With its striking combination of Wagnerian heft and Italianate lightness this work is overdue for a return to the mainstream, and it joins other recent titles on Naxos such as Talitha Kumi! (8573716) and Il segreto di Susanna (8660385), in ‘sparkling… first-rate performances of works by a gifted composer, and one with a unique, compelling voice. Recommended’ (Fanfare).

Gerhard Markson, general music director from 1991 to 1998, studied with Karl Maria Zwissler and Franco Ferrara, and also with his mentor Igor Markevitch, whose assistant he was for many years. Before his appointment to Hagen he was general music director in Freiburg and has enjoyed a busy career as guest conductor in concert halls and opera houses throughout Europe. He has made several recordings for Naxos and Marco Polo.

Cast:
- The Princess: Angelina Ruzzafante (soprano)
- The Prince: Sibrand Basa (tenor)
- The Chancellor: Reinhard Leisenheimer (tenor)
- Prince Korbinian: Stefan Adam (baritone)
- Prince Gudolin / The Beggar: Sergio Gómez (bass)
- Prince Fridolin: Peer-Martin Sturm (tenor)
- Prince Pippin: Michael Kurz (tenor)
- The Moon Fairy: Anna-Maria Dur (mezzo-soprano)