Schubert: Der Vierjahrige Posten

Der vierjährige Posten (based on a libretto written by Theodor Körner) was composed in about ten days, from the 8th to the 19th of May 1815. As it happened with his three previous operatic attempts, Schubert never managed to see this Singspiel staged, and even after publication the score was long confined within library shelves. Only when the centenary of Schubert's death was approaching, the publics of Dresden and Vienna were allowed to see it on stage, in September 1896 and at the beginning of 1897, respectively. Although it raised widespread curiosity and favorable reviews, the work soon disappeared again from the current opera-house repertoire. Today, even in German-speaking countries, it is seldom revived in concert performances, mainly on account of it's lively Overture in two movements (Larghetto-Allegro), of the charming opening chorus, and of the quaint scene VI, consisting of a merry military march plus a chorus filled with a coarse sense of humor, which anticipates the features of the forthcoming Viennese light opera.