Schubert: Alfonso und Estrella

Most of Schubert's operas were written without a specific commission in the hope that, once completed, some theatre might find them interesting simply by virtue of their musical value. This unrealistic optimism proved almost always wrong and Schubert suffered bitter disappointments, very often working for nothing. Begun on September 20, 1821, Alfonso und Estrella was completed on February 27, 1822, but was only first staged on the initiative of Franz Liszt in 1854, after Schubert's death. Alfonso und Estrella has the characteristic climate of a Romantische Oper. If it is true that Schubert lacks the sense of theatre, which is typical of the best operatic composers of his day (for example Weber), the power of his creativity and beauty of many arias cannot be denied.