Dotzauer, J. J. F. — Caprice on Favourite Themes from the Opera 'Oberon' by C. M. von Weber, for Cello and Piano, Op. 96
The production for cello and piano by Justus Johann Friedrich Dotzauer is as abundant as it is variegated. Besides original compositions, several pieces were conceived as fantasies (or elaborations) on operatic themes that Dotzauer witnessed while being principal cello at the Hofkapelle in Dresden.
In June 2026, the three principal cellists of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden (Norbert Anger, Sebastian Fritsch, and Friedrich Thiele), joined by pianist Andreas Hecker, gave birth to an unforgettable Dotzauer Abend where five pieces for cello and piano got their contemporary première. The first of these pieces is the Caprice on Favourite Themes from the Opera ‘Oberon’ by C. M. von Weber, Op. 96, written in 1827 to honour the memory of von Weber who had died a few months before, shortly after completing and conducting ‘Oberon’.
It is a quite imposing piece, lasting about 13 minutes, where the overture and two themes—from Act III, Scene 1 & 2—are exposed and then developed over three main parts. The cello part is clearly predominant, even if the piano accompaniment is never dull or predictable.
The present publication is the first modern edition of this piece and has been the object of a thorough revision where several mistakes and incoherences have been resolved and the notation entirely modernised. The Editorial Notes contain the first part of the ‘Dotzauer and the Piano’ story (from the beginning to 1827), the hunt for the sources, the analysis of the piece, and a description of the chosen editorial process. After the score, a lengthy Critical Notes section is followed by an entirely new Performance Notes section where the editor and the players who performed the premiere listed several suggestions on how to best approach this piece.
Two cello parts are included, one with the original annotations by Dotzauer and one with the additional suggestions by Norbert Anger. Every suggested fingering in the piano part has been provided by Andreas Hecker.
NB: the annotated cello part will come at the end of August.
