Elizabeth Keusch, Soprano
Jessie Hinkle, Mezzo-soprano
Brian Anderson, Tenor
Kevin Burdette, Bass
Concert Chorale of New York
James Bagwell, Director
Presenting
three rarities in a program titled "Spiritual
Romanticism," Leon Botstein again showed
why he is one of the most accomplished programmers
anywhere. I have never heard any of these
three works live, and may never again. Botstein’s
scholarship is virtually without peer, and
all one needs as evidence is the handsome
program booklet, as educational as it is a
pleasure to read.
The
Mendelssohn is beautiful – not the most riveting
work but a pleasant one and well worth hearing.
Written in 1846, the work was commissioned
for the six-hundredth anniversary of Corpus
Christi, and was first performed at the Belgian
Church of St. Martin in Liège.
Some of its eight sections are for chorus
alone, while others are for the four soloists,
or a combination of both. The soloists were
generally very good, particularly Elizabeth
Keusch, whose soprano and involved demeanor
caught one’s attention all afternoon. Jessie
Hinkle sounded lovely, especially in some
of her duets with Keusch, and Brian Anderson’s
lyricism was also quite welcome. I only wish
Kevin Burdette hadn’t pushed his voice so
hard. He clearly has a nice instrument, but
somehow it emerged a bit strangled in the
climaxes.
The
unusual Wagner, written when the composer
was just twenty-nine years old, is structured
for maximum drama. (The work also foreshadows
Parsifal, thirty-five years later,
which uses some of this work’s musical elements.)
The men’s chorus begins a capella and
then continues for a good fifteen minutes
or so, depicting God appearing to the Disciples
and Apostles. When the orchestra finally enters,
led by a soft tympani roll that quickly crescendos
to a huge climax, the chorus announces, "What
is that roar in the wind? What is that sound,
that ring? Is the ground moving beneath our
feet?" The men of the Concert Chorale
acquitted themselves admirably, singing tunefully
without drifting from the pitches – a very
real worry in long a capella passages
– and with well-rehearsed German diction.
As someone
who generally avoids Liszt at all costs (sorry,
but the truth will come out sooner or later),
I was shocked at how much I enjoyed this work
– another buried treasure just waiting for
the right conductor to say, "This should
really be exhumed more often." This is
a dramatic, involving Missa Solemnis
that could also easily be programmed with
say, Beethoven’s (just to give Dr. Botstein
another idea).
Opening
with the chorus in dramatic chords in rising
fifths, the work is lushly romantic for most
of its span. The mood changes somewhat when
we reach Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub
Pontio Pilato (He was crucified for
us under Pontius Pilate), and the texture
becomes more ominous, punctuated by stark
organ chords. The Chorale again did excellent
work with a difficult score, and the balances
seemed better than they sometimes are, when
the orchestra overpowers the voices. The brass
section sounded particularly good, with an
impressive unison fanfare for And he shall
come again with glory to judge the living
and the dead.
I overheard
a gentleman sitting behind me, saying the
last time he heard the Liszt was thirty years
ago. I hope he isn’t saying the same thing
in 2034.
Bruce
Hodges
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