The opera "Der Vampyr" of Heinrich Marschner (1795-1861)

The opera "Der Vampyr" of Heinrich Marschner (1795-1861), based on a story of John Polidori, is a discovery.  Probably Gustav Mahler, being director of opera, must have directed this opera, because compare the aria "Ach Mutter, Dort Den bleichen Mann", with Mahlers song "Wenn mein Schatz Hochzeit macht" from the "Die Lieder des fahrenden Gesellen".

I discovered this opera when I wrote my university tesis about music in the work of V.F. Odoyevsky (1803-1969). He wrote a fantastic tale called Imbroglio (the Mess) where this opera appears. Not only that, after some research I discovered that it forms a structural part of the story itself.

If you like horror stories or other opera's like "Der Freischutz" of Von Weber or the early Wagner, try to find it and enjoy. You can also go to the opera of Bristol this year.

Or to find out the BBC miniseries from 1992, with the ouverture in a "modern" London setting.