Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor Rob Barnett Editor in Chief
John Quinn Contributing Editor Ralph Moore Webmaster
David Barker Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf MusicWeb Founder Len Mullenger
Johann
Sebastian BACH (1685-1750) Christmas Oratorio BWV248 (1734)
Elly Ameling
(soprano); Dame Janet Baker (alto); Robert Tear (tenor);
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (bass)
Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields/Sir Philip Ledger
rec. King’s College Chapel, Cambridge July and December
1976 ADD EMI CLASSICS
GEMINI 2176252 [77:46 + 76:38]
I’ve
long known this particular performance, having owned a
cassette tape copy for many years, though I haven’t listened
to it for a long time. This is my first encounter with
it in CD format. Hearing it again reinforces its many positive
features, not least the involvement of some splendid Bach
soloists.
The
performance uses modern instruments and therefore the orchestral
sound is quite rich as compared to period ensembles. However,
the playing is crisp and stylish – the obbligato contributions
especially. The only reservation I have about the accompaniment
is that the timpani are a little too prominent on occasion.
The skimpy documentation doesn’t identify the obbligato
players but the booklet that accompanied the cassette issue
names them, enabling me to credit, for example, the silvery
trumpeting of Michael Laird and the fine violin playing
of the late Iona Brown.
Where
the performance does have claims to authenticity is through
the use of an all-male choir. The King’s College singers
acquit themselves very well indeed and the trebles bring
a nice cutting edge to the top line. King’s choir was -
and is - accustomed to singing Bach. It’s often forgotten
that not too many years earlier the choir had contributed
to several of the early volumes of the Harnoncourt/Leonhardt
cycle of the cantatas. The quality of the singing is evident
from the very first chorus, where the choir displays conviction
and bite, conveying very well the jubilation in the music.
That’s the principal impression that one gets in this performance,
such is the nature of Bach’s music. However, they bring
other qualities too, such as light, fleet singing in ‘Lasset
uns nun gehen gen Bethlehem ‘ (Cantata III). Only once
was I disappointed in the choral contribution. That was
in the opening chorus of Cantata V, ‘Ehre sei dir, Gott,
gesungen’, where I detect little dynamic contrast - the
music suffers as a consequence. Otherwise the choral singing
gives a great deal of pleasure.
That
comment applies to the solo singing also. I do have one
reservation about the solo team, which I may as well mention
straight away. For my taste Robert Tear is too robust as
the Evangelist, especially in the earlier cantatas. Tear’s
is not a particularly ingratiating voice and I much prefer
a sweeter tenor sound in this work, such as one hears from
Anthony Rolfe Johnson or Christoph Genz, for example. I
also feel he sounds a little effortful on the topmost notes
in some of the recitatives. That’s more noticeable in the
earlier cantatas. I wonder if these were set down at separate
sessions from the later cantatas when Tear was, perhaps,
not in best voice. He does well in the arias, however,
not least in ‘Ich will nur dir zu Ehren leben’ (Cantata
IV), where the demanding divisions are negotiated with
clarity.
Elly
Ameling is in admirable form, singing with fine poise and
a consistent clarity which falls gratefully on the ear.
I particularly enjoyed the pert ‘Nur ein Wink’ (Cantata
VI), which is deliciously sung. She’s also excellent in ‘Flösst,
mein Heiland’ (Cantata IV) where her clear, silvery tone,
delivered at a lovely lilting tempo, is a delight. In this
aria the important echo contributions are beautifully judged – I
suspect the treble concerned, Jason James, was positioned
at the far end of the chapel. There’s also a fine oboe
obbligato.
With
no disrespect to the other soloists, however, it’s the
contributions of Dame Janet Baker and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
that in many ways define this set. Both were eminent Bach
singers and here we find both on top form. It has to be
said also that the alto and bass soloists have the plums
among the arias in this work. Fischer-Dieskau is magisterial
in ‘Grosser Herr’ (Cantata I), where he’s superbly supported
by Trumpeter Michael Laird. I also relished the seamless
legato that he deploys in ‘Wass Gott dem Abraham verheissen’ (Cantata
II) and the burnished tone that he brings to ‘Erleucht’ auch
meine finstre Sinne’ (Cantata V). Everything he does is
invested with subtlety and understanding. This is Bach
singing of a very high order.
And
we get the same from Dame Janet. She’s poised and dedicated
in ‘Nun wird mein liebster Bräutigam’ (Cantata I) and then
the aria ‘Bereite dich, Zion’, which follows immediately,
is sung with wonderfully warm and full tone, though ideally
I’d like the speed to be just a fraction swifter. To her
falls one of the gems in the whole work: ‘Schlafe, mein
Liebster’ (Cantata II) and she gives an elevated account
of this gorgeous aria. A little later in the work comes ‘Schliesse,
mein Herze’ (Cantata III). Her seamless line and rich tone
are much to be admired here, as is the eloquent violin
obbligato, played, I think, by Iona Brown.
In
general I like the way in which Philip Ledger directs the
work. The chorales tend to be on the broad side, though
far from turgid, and in general speeds are moderate, though
not lacking in energy. Perhaps the speeds account for one
of the drawbacks to this set, which is that Cantata III
is split between the CDs, with the last three movements
placed at the start of the second disc. What a pity that
a mere 3:37 of music could not have been fitted onto disc
one but I suppose a total playing time of 81:23 would have
been just a fraction too extended. The necessity to change
CDs is an unfortunate irritant.
There are one or two places where I wished
Ledger had adopted a speed that was just a shade more fleet
- ‘Bereite dich, Zion’ is one such – but in the main his
tempi are sensible and musical. The one occasion when I
do criticise his conducting is the chorus ‘Ehre sei dir,
Gott, gesungen’ where, as I’ve already mentioned, I don’t
hear much dynamic contrast. If one listens to a conductor
such as Sir John Eliot Gardiner and hear how he uses dynamics
and rhythmic energy to bring the music to life Ledger’s
approach sounds somewhat tame and unimaginative in comparison.
But
overall this is a version of Christmas Oratorio that
will give much pleasure. The recorded sound is very good,
using the natural reverberation of the King’s College Chapel
to impart a becoming warmth to the music. There are no
texts or translations and the excellent note by Basil Lam
that accompanied the original release is not replicated.
Instead the documentation consists only of a track list
and an extremely brief note.
Christmas
Oratorio contains some of
the most life-enhancing music that Bach wrote, which
is saying something. This very enjoyable performance
reminds us how in this work Bach distils the true spirit
of Christmas.
Reviews
from previous months Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the
discs reviewed. details We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin
Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to
which you refer.