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AND HEARD FESTIVAL REVIEW
Oxford Lieder Festival (3):
Messiaen,
Gweneth Ann Jeffers (soprano), Simon Lepper (piano), Martin
Strurfält (piano), New College Ante-Chapel, Oxford 17.10.2008 (AO)
The ante–chapel at New College is one of the most atmospheric places
in Oxford. To reach it you have to go right into the college, past
two quadrangles and the ruins of battlements which were part of the
ancient city wall. The chapel itself is an architectural treasure.
The famous reredos, a wall of sculpted saints, is “only” Victorian,
but it’s beautiful, but as the college is closed to tourists at
night, visitors rarely see it to advantage. Light and shadow
highlight the intricate details in the carving, better than can be
seen in the day. I used to go to concerts here regardless of what
was on, just to enjoy the experience. The acoustics are superb, and
are perfect for Messiaen’s more intimate music.
Gweneth Ann Jeffers is the leading Messiaen specialist of her
generation. This year she sang Harawi twice, first as part of
the South Bank commemorative (see
review)
and at the Proms. Here she sang the earlier cycle, Poèmes pour Mi,
Mi being the nickname of Messiaen’s first wife. The composer said
that anyone wanting to understand his music should study this cycle.
Indeed, it carries, in embryo, so much of what becomes “classic”
Messiaen. Structurally it evolves in distinctive parts, two “books”
of four and nine songs respectively. Messiaen wrote the text itself
for the sentiments are most unusual. The songs celebrate marriage
but encompass extreme images and theological ideas. Registers are
extreme, demanding exquisite judgement on the part of both singer
and pianist; often the singer is unsupported except for the most
minimal accompaniment. Jeffers and Lepper truly have the measure of
this cycle. This was a performance so good that it deserved high
profile exposure in London, and perhaps soon, for Oxford Lieder has
the knack of picking the best before bigger venues catch wind of
what’s happening. That’s why it’s a Festival to watch.
Poèmes pour Mi
starts with delicate moonlight tracery in the piano part which
introduces L’Action de graces. The first words “Le ciel”
suggest the vast panorama of feelings that will follow. The text
repeats phrases starting with “Et…” like a church chant, but
suddenly the song explodes in delirious joy “Et la Verité, et
L’Esprit et la Grace avec son heritage de lumiere”. Then
Messiaen challenges the singer with repeated Alléluias, with
melismas within the word, stretching the syllables. The fourth
song, Épouvante, introduces something strange and surreal,
which shouldn’t really come as a surprise to those who know their
Messiaen. Jeffers sang the tricky sequence of “ha ha ha ha ha” with
the savage grace that is echt Messiaen, then suddenly switched to a
low “ho”. Vowels mean a lot here, for they curve round the barbaric
imagery in this song which refers to things like “une vomissure
triangulaire” (a triangular lump of vomit”). It’s almost like
scat singing, or something from a primitive (to western ears)
culture.
Typically, Messiaen switches again to the serenely mystical
L’Épouse, where Jeffers kept her voice hovering, barely above
the level of a whisper. Lepper’s piano entwined the vocal line, for
this is a song about marital union. The balance was carefully
judged. More contrasts with the songs Les Deux Guerriers, and
Le Collier. The first is like a march, the lovers being
“warriors”, in the sense that angels are sometimes depicted as
warriors armed in a cosmic struggle between good and evil. Suddenly
domesticity returns, transfigured with tenderness. Jane Manning,
Britain’s great Messiaen champion, wrote of this song, “One can’t
help thinking of the mystical properties of crystals and prisms” for
the sounds seem to refract in intricate patterns of light. The final
song, Prière Exaucée, is demanding, combining guttural sounds
like Frappe, tappe, choque with expansive cries,
Donnez-moi votre Grace; marital love uniting with the love of
God.
After such a performance, Jeffers and Lepper had to run to catch the
last train! I mention this because people so often forget
performers are human, affected by the normal stresses of life. So
often we consume music from recordings, losing the connection
between real and mechanical processes.
Martin Sturfält, the Swedish pianist, then played three movements
from Vingt Régards sur L’Enfant-Jésus. The last time I heard
this in recital was with Pierre-Laurent Aimard in February, part of
the South Bank Messiaen Festival (see
review.)
He was astounding, knowing just how important that performance was
and how significant the homage. This was one of the great
experiences of my concert going life, so there was no way it could
be surpassed. But tonight Sturfält was good. He started with
Noël, where his sweetness of tone caught the sense of happiness
and wonder in the music. The 14th section Régard des
Anges is more contemplative for the angels are looking down on
the mystery. He played the 15th part, Le Baiser de
L’Enfant-Jésus with touching tenderness: this baby is sweet, but
represents the union of God and man. Sturfält has made a recording
of piano works by Wilhelm Stenhammar for Hyperion, which should be
released within a few weeks, and he’s performing Stenhammar at the
Oxford Lieder Festival on 21st October, with the
baritone, Giles Underwood.
Anne Ozorio
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