PROM 22:  Haydn, ‘Heiligmesse’   Schubert, Symphony no. 9 in C major, ‘Great’ BBC Philharmonic, BBC Singers, Soloists, cond. Gianandrea Noseda. 30. 07. 06.

 

and

PROM 24:  Handel arr. Mozart, Alexander’s Feast. The English Concert and Choir, Soloists, cond. Andrew Manze.   01.08.06.    (ME) 

 

 

Haydn’s Heiligmesse is the classic ‘occasion’ work, written to the commission of Nikolaus II as an annual Mass in celebration of his wife’s name day. Gianandrea Noseda is a much admired conductor, and his direction of the work amply showed you why: his control over the orchestra in the ‘Kyrie,’ is management of all his forces in the ‘Et incarnatus est’ section and his fresh, snappy rhythmic approach all created a performance of verve and distinction. The four soloists have comparatively little to do here, although each one sang with clarity and style; Lucy Crowe was, as always, at her best in ensemble passages, and Matthew Rose’s bass revealed his forthright but at times a little overwhelmed tone.

 

The Schubert was a remarkable performance, especially for those who come to this composer expecting certain qualities - and we all know what those are. In this case, we were reminded that this is a symphony essentially without a slow movement, the two ‘Andante’ sections being given at a pace far from the usual desultory stroll, in fact rather more like the kind of sweat-breaking jog  which you simply can’t imagine Schubert ever doing. I have never heard the ‘Allegro’ played with such positive verve, and seldom have I experienced the ‘Scherzo’ given with so much bounce. The BBC Philharmonic played wonderfully fo Principal Conductor.

 

Alexander’s Feast was receiving its first Proms performance in this version, arranged by Mozart in 1790. Handel’s great original is made mellifluous, romantic and, dare one say it, ultimately rather bland by Mozart, and those epithets also hold good for this performance. To most ears, the original is better partly because it is set to words by Dryden, and hearing, say, ‘Revenge! Revenge! Timotheus cries’ simply sounds far more dramatic and appropriate in context than ‘Gib Rach! Gib Rach! Heult alles leut.’ The story line is of course appealing  - finally back in the bosom of his consort Thaïs after his Persian skirmishes, Alexander the Great is entertained by the bard Timotheus, whose reflections and persuasions are narrated by a quartet of soloists.

 

It’s a work which needs the most vocally agile, rhythmically idiomatic singers, as indeed it receives in the only currently available recording, directed by Christopher Hogwood on Arabesque in 1993. Unfortunately, in this performance only the soprano Sally Matthews was equal to the music’s demands: she is of course one of the few artists around to whom one can actually give the name of a ‘real Handel singer,’ and here she once more showed her special qualities, whether sensuously beguiling in ‘Thaïs führt ihn an’ or gently persuasive in ‘Töne sanft,’ the latter supported by some especially fine string playing. The tenor Paul Agnew has a very fine, if small, voice, and he often sings minor parts which show everyone else on stage the way with baroque music, but his performance here was tentative at best. Score-bound for much of the time, he hardly ever suggested the heroic edge necessary in the tenor’s music, leaving arias such as ‘Krieg, o Held’ sounding bland rather than engrossing.

 

The bass has perhaps the most well known music in the work, and whilst Roderick Williams gave a sound performance of ‘Gib Rach,’ it was hardly the rousing, passionate aria which both music and words require – listen to Alastair Miles on the recording, and hear what a real Handelian bass can do! Williams sings accurately and has much platform charm, but I find his style too ‘laid back’ for this type of work.

 

Andrew Manze directed a loving, careful performance by his orchestra and choir – I just wish it could have been livelier and less cosy in approach. Still, it was something that the piece has finally been played here in this version, and that it was given to a fairly full and extremely enthusiastic house.

 

Melanie Eskenazi