After the premiere of Marschner’s “Vampyr” on 7 May at the Theater Koblenz, the early romantic opera repertoire is once again a work the richer, with the original version finally available.

Heinrich Marschner is considered the most significant German opera composer between Carl Maria von Weber and Richard Wagner. Among his most important works is his opera Der Vampyr (The Vampire) premiered in 1828, with which he celebrated his breakthrough. The composer’s autograph is regarded as lost, and a score was not published in Marschner’s lifetime. It was only in 1925 that Hans Pfitzner produced an edition that must be described as flawed. Breitkopf & Härtel has prepared the complete, practical performance material based on the score published in the “Das Erbe deutscher Musik” (German Music Heritage) in the version authorized by Marschner and tops it off with a new piano reduction that is very playable.