Revered in his lifetime
as a great composer Mendelssohn was
to become regarded far less favourably,
suffering considerable criticism. It
is said that his reputation was badly
sabotaged by the anti-Semitism of the
supporters of Liszt and Wagner and then
again in the mid-twentieth century by
the National Socialists in Germany who
for example used famous works by Mendelssohn,
and also Mahler and Schoenberg as examples
of unacceptable music. It is only a
handful of compositions that keep Mendelssohn’s
name in the spotlight today, namely
his Violin Concerto, the Italian
symphony, the youthful Octet
and Overture to a Midsummer Night’s
Dream. It is good to see that much
of the wonderful chamber music is at
last receiving substantial acclaim with
many excellent cycles available. Exploration
will reveal that the choral works contain
some of the highlights of his output
although in the main they are rarely
heard and deserve better regard. This
fine Warner Classics Apex double set
of previously released material from
their Erato back catalogue should provide
significant help in redressing the balance
and assist in Mendelssohn’s rehabilitation.
Undoubtedly the choral
music of Mendelssohn owes a tremendous
debt to J.S. Bach as well as that of
Handel. Mendelssohn utilised sacred
texts and frequently used Bach as his
principal model. So impressed was he
with Bach’s music that he arranged and
conducted a revival of the ‘Great’ St.
Matthew Passion at a time when Bach
was very much out of favour.
Neglected and overshadowed
in the main by his orchestral works
Mendelssohn’s choral music is not to
everyone’s taste and I have recently
seen a disparaging review that compared
Mendelssohn's choral music to a limp
salad or soggy cereal. In my opinion
Mendelssohn choral music is a wonderful
link between the late-Baroque of J.S.
Bach and the high-Romanticism of Brahms,
without reaching the sacred reverence
of Bach or achieving the depth of emotional
intensity of Brahms. As a composer of
sacred texts, Mendelssohn is principally
remembered today for the oratorios:
St. Paul (1836) and Elijah (1846), two
pillars of his genre that secured his
fame in the restorationist Germany and
Victorian Britain, where they were frequently
performed at numerous public music festivals
and sometimes conducted by the composer.
In spite of the forceful and enduring
backlash against things Germanic and
Victorian that prevailed in Britain
following the outbreak of the Great
War, these two Oratorios have remained
ever-popular with British provincial
choral societies. Yet St. Paul and Elijah
were accompanied by an impressive, though
now largely forgotten series of Psalm
settings, for varying scorings of chorus,
soloists and orchestra, that also figured
prominently in the European music life
of the 1830s and 1840s. For me Mendelssohn’s
choral music has a special and unique
appeal. At its very best it is convincing
and expressive, bright and airy in tone
with a gentle serenity and a rare beauty.
The first work is the
42 Psalm, (As the doe longs for running
streams), op. 42. Composed in 1837,
Mendelssohn wrote several of the eight
sections whilst on honeymoon and the
others shortly afterwards. Lasting for
twenty-five minutes the composer held
the score in high regard stating that
it was, "the best thing of its
kind that I have written". The
work reaches heights of sublime passion
in praise of the glory of God. Mendelssohn
required the work to be performed with
particular tenderness.
The 95 Psalm ‘Kommt,
lasst uns anbeten’ (Come in let us bow)
op. 46. Together with 42 Psalm
the score was composed in 1839 and
revised three years later, it is in
five sections and uses a baroque-like
piety.
115 Psalm, ‘Nicht
unserm Namen, Herr’ (Not unto us, O
Lord), op. 31 was the first of Mendelssohn’s
great Psalm settings to be published
and is based on the Vulgate version
of the Bible with German words added
later. A definite influence of Handel
is felt throughout this fine work.
The 114 Psalm, ‘Da
Israel aus Ägypten zog’ (When Israel
came out of Egypt) op. 51 was composed
in 1839 and dedicated to the painter
J.W. Schimer; again it contains echoes
of Handel.
In the booklet notes
we are told very little about the four
movement Hymn, ‘Lass’, o Herr mich
Hülfe finden’ (Help me, O Lord,
to find peace) op. 96. Composed
in 1840, Mendelssohn revised the score
in 1841 and again in 1843.
The 98 Psalm, ‘Singet
dem Herrn ein neues Lied’ (Sing to the
Lord a new song) op. 91 is in three
movements and was composed in 1846.
A short work lasting about eight minutes,
the score was a commission for the New
Year celebrations at the Court of Berlin
in 1844. This is a glorious work which
demonstrates more of Mendelssohn’s craftsmanship
rather than plumbing great emotion depths.
An ambitious work the
‘Lauda Sion‘ (Praise the Lord) Op.73
was commissioned by the Roman Catholic
Church of St. Martin in Luttich to celebrate
the feast of Corpus Christi. Completed
in 1846 the score is a contemporary
of his great Oratorio Elijah
and combines Catholic restraint with
a degree of baroque festivity. Sketched
in broad strokes and heavily orchestrated
there are solemn and heavy textures
contrasted with occasions of more relaxed
lyrical moods.
Listeners new to Mendelssohn’s
sacred choral works should relish these
excellent compositions. There are several
‘gems’ to be discovered here not least
the most resourceful and accomplished
‘Lauda Sion‘ (Praise the Lord) Op.73.
The honours are equally divided with
impressive singing and orchestral playing
from all concerned. Under the direction
of Swiss-born conductor Michel Corboz
the Lisbon-based Gulbenkian choir and
soloists offer a fine display of control
and technique and produce an eager sense
of atmosphere. The instrumental playing
from the Gulbenkian Orchestra, although
not without blemish, is dedicated and
fresh with plenty of character.
This worthwhile Apex
release should provide considerable
pleasure.
Michael Cookson
Gulbenkian Choir and Orchestra/Michel Corboz
