It may seem strange
to begin a CD review by discussing the
documentation but it’s right to do so
on this occasion since the presentation
of this set is such an outstanding feature.
The discs are housed in a hardback book
that measures approximately 6.25 inches
by 8.5 inches. The book itself runs
to seventy-six pages and in addition
to the full text and English translation
you get a lengthy and interesting interview
with the conductor, a detailed note
about the music and an even more substantial
essay discussing the work in the context
of the Lutheran liturgy. This excellent
documentation is enhanced by the inclusion
of a number of mother-and-child photographs,
in black-and-white, by photographer
Eddy Posthuma de Boer. I’m also happy
to report that the typeface is clear
and easy to read, which is not something
that one can take for granted these
days. The only defect was the absence
of a track listing, which I suspect
was a printing flaw in my review copy.
Happily, this release
doesn’t just stand or fall by the documentation
for the performance is of a comparable
excellence. Jan Willem de Vriend tells
us that he and Combattimento Consort
Amsterdam have performed the complete
Christmas Oratorio almost every
year for the last decade – it’s unclear
if Capella Amsterdam, a professional
choir, has taken part in all these performances
– and certainly there does seem to be
a unity of purpose and a sense of teamwork
about this recording. I’ve listened
to it several times now and I’m struck
by its freshness and by the pervading
feeing of joy about it. There seems
to be a sense of rightness, and the
interpretation seems well settled, though
never routine. In the course of a performance
lasting over two hours one is almost
bound to disagree with certain aspects
but I have to say that such occasions
were few and far between. I thought
that the tempo for the opening chorus
of the Third cantata, ‘Herrscher des
Himmels’, was a bit brisk – though the
performers can certainly cope with the
pace – but for the most part I felt
that de Vriend’s choice of speeds was
consistently judicious..
Things get off to the
best possible start with a jubilant,
festive traversal of the very first
chorus, ‘Jauchzet, frohlocket’. The
trumpets ring out tellingly, every instrumental
and vocal strand is clear, including
a nicely judged bass line, and the choir
excels. The thirty-two singers – eight
to a part, with female altos - sound
fresh and eager and both singers and
players invest the rhythms with great
vitality. By sheer coincidence on the
morning that I began to type up this
review I caught the opening chorus from
Harnoncourt’s new recording. I suspect
he is using a larger choir and orchestra
but what struck me was how deliberate
and emphatic it all sounded. The bass
line was heavy, the timpani boomed and
the tempo lacked any lift or sense of
urgency. The BBC Radio 3 presenter described
it as "measured" but I think
I’d have said "ponderous".
There’s none of that in this Dutch performance
and the first chorus proves to be a
harbinger of what is to come.
The choral singing
consistently gives great pleasure. The
chorales are uniformly satisfying. Elsewhere,
the chorus ’Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe’
(Cantata II) has an infectious eagerness
and they produce a lovely warm sound
in ‘Falt mit Danken’ (Cantata IV). They’re
bustlingly exultant in ‘Ehre sei dir,Gott,
gesungen’ (Cantata V) and launch the
sixth cantata joyously.
The orchestral contribution
is no less fine. The sinfonia that opens
Cantata II lilts irresistibly and the
rich sound that the pair of natural
horns adds to the mix in the opening
chorus of Cantata IV is hugely enjoyable.
The obbligato playing is uniformly excellent
– sample, for instance, the natural
trumpet in the bass aria in Cantata
I or the expressive violin in the alto
aria ‘Schliesse, mein Herze’(Cantata
III).
There is a strong team
of soloists. The tenor, Jörg Dürmüller,
who I can’t recall hearing previously,
impresses as the narrator. He has a
fine clarity of delivery and his voice,
which is essentially quite a light one,
is produced easily, especially at the
top. He may lack the sweetness of Anthony
Rolfe-Johnson (for John Eliot Gardiner)
or the sense of engagement of the incomparable
Helmut Krebs (for Fritz Werner) but
he’s still a very involving narrator.
He and de Vriend pace the recitatives
admirably and you feel drawn into the
narrative by Dürmüller. He
also sings his demanding arias very
well.
Detlef Roth is a very
satisfying bass. His voice has presence
but is also sufficiently agile so that
he gives a fine account of that noble
aria ‘Grosser Herr’ (Cantata I). He
also produces smooth tone for ‘Erleucht
auch meine finstre Sinne’ (Cantata V).
The soprano has the least to do among
the soloists but I enjoyed the singing
of Malin Hartelius. In particular I
relished the light, silvery tone that
she deploys in ‘Flösst, mein Heiland’
(Cantata IV). Her account of this aria
is full of charm and I love the way
she conveys wide-eyed eagerness when
singing the simple but key word "Ja".
Her fellow Swede, the
alto Kristina Hammarström, makes
a very positive impression. To her fall
some of the choicest arias in the whole
work and she’s fully equal to their
challenges. She’s suitably alert in
‘Bereite dich, Zion’ (Cantata I) and
then in the next cantata she delivers
‘Schlafe, mein Liebster’ with warm affection.
As I’ve already indicated,
Jan Willem de Vriend directs the proceedings
judiciously. He displays evident understanding
and affection for the music and leads
what I find to be a consistently satisfying
and invigorating account of this wonderful
music. Since the performance is also
captured in excellent sound that is
clear yet atmospheric this set earns
a very strong recommendation on every
count. I’ve enjoyed this recording of
Christmas Oratorio enormously
and I hope it will brighten your Christmas
celebrations also.
John Quinn
Malin
Hartelius (soprano)/Kristina Hammarström
(alto)/Jörg Dürmüller (tenor)/Detlef
Roth (bass)/Capella Amsterdam/Combattimento
Consort Amsterdam/Jan Willem de Vriend
CHALLENGE
CLASSICS CC 76607 Hybrid SACD [72:01
+ 66:56]
