Antonín DVORÁK (1841-1904)
1. Biblical songs (1) [16:18]
2. Te Deum Op.103 (2) [20:46]
3. Violin Concerto in A minor Op.53 (3) [34:38]
4. Requiem Op.89 (4) [105:14]
5. Stabat Mater Op.58 (5) [86:12]
Lívia Ághová (2), Lucia Popp (4), Eva Urbanová (5) (sopranos), Eva Randová
(1,4), Katerina Kachlíková (5) (mezzo-sopranos); Josef Protschka (4), ŝtefan
Margita (5) (tenors); Ivan Kusnjer (2) (baritone); Peter Mikuláŝ (4,5)
(bass); Ivan Zenaty (3) (violin)
Prague Symphony Orchestra; Prague Symphonic Chorus (4, 5); Prague Philharmonic
Choir (2); Jiri Belohlávek (1-3), Petr Altrichter (4), Libor Peŝek (5)
rec. Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Germany, 1993
Region 0
Released separately as 102137, 102143 & 102145.
ARTHAUS MUSIK 107512 [DVDs: 81:00 + 90:00 + 110:00]
Although recorded in concert as recently as 1993 this 3 DVD collection of
Dvorák's major sacred works is best approached from the perspective of historical
and/or archival document rather that library recommendation. This is not
a comment on the quality of the music or performances all of which are
at least good and some superb. The reason for the historical value is the
performers. We have three of the (then) younger generation of Czech conductors
conducting the fine and characterful pre-velvet revolution Prague Symphony
Orchestra and associated choruses. In 1993 this meant that the orchestra still
retained a distinctive Czech sound with rich strings, wonderfully characterful
woodwind (I'm thinking especially here of the plangent oboe and perky clarinet)
and incisive brass tempered by mellow horns. Add pretty much a who's-who of
the finest Czech soloists of the day - including with enormous poignancy the
irreplaceable Lucia Popp singing in the Requiem who died the same year
these recordings were made - and you must wonder why I advise the archival
status. The problem is these are video performances and therefore the
visual element must contribute. Sadly, this is some of the dullest least inspiring
videoing of a concert I have ever watched. If you ever wanted to put someone
of classical music in concert show them this DVD - everything is so sombre
and dour. Even the opening titles are extraordinarily dull - literally piece
titles on a black background - it feels more like a wake than a concert. Camera
angles and chosen close-ups are predictable and routine. The picture quality
is average for early 90's TV broadcast lacking any kind of the clarity the
best recordings now boast. This is further reflected in the 4:3 picture ratio
- standard for the time but one that takes no account of the preponderance
of wide-screen televisions today. Most damaging of all the sound is of similar
broadcast quality running into problems of congestion and distortion at the
big climaxes. Much of the time the sound is actually rather rich and warm
but with that haze of distortion clouding the upper frequencies in loud passages
- it rather reminds me of overloaded analogue cassette tape recordings. In
silent pauses there is audible background noise that goes beyond hall ambience.
And this is such a shame because much of the music-making is so fine.
To take the discs in numerical order; the first concert is under the direction
of Jiri Belohlávek some years before he took over as the BBC Symphony Orchestra's
principal conductor. His conducting is a model of calm control without any
of the hyperactive showboating which is becoming more popular amongst conductor's
today. The programme opens with the five Biblical Songs Op.99 that
Dvorák orchestrated from the original set of ten. The solo part is taken with
dignified authority by Eva Randová. I absolutely adore the kind of rich dark
tone she produces - some might feel it is a rather statuesque performance
lacking the humanity that some find in this work but to my ear it is a compellingly
concentrated interpretation. Another major black mark to Arthaus here; the
box says there are subtitles - well I pressed every combination of buttons
on my remote in every menu and no subtitles appear. Ironically the booklets
for each of the DVDs is better than it often is - including a reasonable essay
in English German and French and artist biographies.... but again NO texts.
Even the individual songs are untitled on screen. I do understand that you
do not always want subtitles or extra-musical information of any kind but
to exploit the potential of DVD surely they should be there as an option.
The Te Deum Op.103 is the most occasional of all the works in this
set. Composed as a temporary replacement for his cantata The American Flag
(the text was not yet complete) this was written to celebrate the 400th
anniversary of the discovery of America by Columbus. It is the kind of piece
that choral societies roll out with gratitude because it is a relatively easy
sing, at barely twenty minutes it does not outstay its welcome, and it requires
just two soloists. Having written so negatively about the piece it is a pleasure
to report it receives a thrillingly virile and impressive performance here.
Gosh, the Prague Philharmonic Choir sing well. The blend across all the voices
is superbly achieved and there is power and focus is all departments. Likewise
the actual sound of the two soloists in their relatively brief contributions
is absolutely ideal. Soprano Lívia Ághová has that silvery Popp-like brilliance
to her voice - that's a big compliment from where I sit - and baritone Ivan
Kusnjer balances weighty tone in the lower register with an appealing freedom
in alt. Although this will never be one of my favourite pieces this is as
impressive a performance as I have heard.
Which takes me to the work which the DVD cover describes as a 'bonus' - the
relatively early Violin Concerto in A minor Op.53. People always mutter
about "formal problems" with this work and certainly its position
in the concerto pantheon has never been that high and within the composer's
own canon it sits firmly in the shadow of the great Cello Concerto.
But here we are treated to a simply stunning performance - easily the best
I have ever heard. The soloist is Ivan Zenaty. His is a far from familiar
name although in the last few years his disc of the Foerster
concertos also with Belohlávek and a sonatas
disc on Supraphon I enjoyed hugely proves he has had a long and distinguished
career. His biography cites Milstein and Gertler as formative influences and
indeed his playing does have the bravura intensity of both those remarkable
players. What he brings out in this concerto is the dancing folk-element -
I heard echoes of the Slavonic Dances quite clearly here which had quite passed
me by before. The DVD shows Zenaty to be a wonderfully unfussy player too
- he really does just stand and play. Yes I know what the academics mean about
the structure of this work but surely at this stage of his career Dvorák was
striving to give his music a national identity within the structure of traditional/classical
musical form and as played here I'm convinced it works. Luckily the recording
does not struggle to accommodate the dynamic range of the orchestra and instrumental
soloist alone as much as it does with full chorus and singers so technically
this is the best of the performances on the disc too.
The second DVD is devoted to the Requiem Op.89. Again this is work
that has rather suffered in comparison beit to the same composer's Stabat
Mater or other 19th Century Requiems by Brahms or of course Verdi. But
context is everything; the work was Dvorák's third (lucrative) commission
for the major British organisations - in this instance the 1891 Birmingham
festival - and he was never intellectually or emotionally trying to write
a work with the overt theatricality of the Verdi or the rigour of Brahms.
Again, I am grateful to this performance to remind me what a fine work this
is in its own right. The baton has passed to Petr Altrichter and he proves
to be just as insightful and in control as Belohlávek. He 'works' his orchestra
and chorus with more overt energy but that is consistent with the scale of
the piece. Interestingly the four soloists are ranged behind the orchestra
but in front of the chorus and in turn the chorus is split all the ladies
to the left and the gentlemen to the right. Not that either detail of the
staging would you know from listening alone since the soloists occupy a traditional
'front centre' position and the chorus are integrated into a single group.
Technically this is a better recording and praise be there are subtitles at
hand. As mentioned before the particular poignant delight is the presence
of Lucia Popp as soprano soloist. I have heard her sing with more sheer tonal
beauty but still she is in fine voice. In the 2nd movement Graduale you
can appreciate the skill of the composer's lightly scored accompaniment and
the exceptionally well-drilled ladies of the Prague Symphonic Choir who negotiate
some tricky counterpoint with commendable ease. One of the early digital successes
for Supraphon were recordings on CD with the Czech Philharmonic conducted
by Wolfgang Sawallisch and an international line-up of soloists of the two
big sacred works. As a performance this matches up to those very well and
if anything benefits from the extra intensity of live performance. Whilst
on the topic of this being live I should mention that generally throughout
the three discs the Frankfurt audience are reasonably well behaved although
there is the inevitable bronchial moment and generally the microphones pick
up quite a lot of auditorium noise. Personally, I never find this to be distracting
given the concert hall location but there is enough of it audible to annoy
those more sensitive to such things than I. Similarly, from a playing point
of view there are passing moments - and they really are just moments - of
ragged ensemble but nothing that detracts from my pleasure or admiration of
the quality of these Czech players. Indeed just the reverse - I would say
the orchestra have gone up in my estimation. I am fascinated by the discrepancy
between the weight of sound the strings seem able to produce and how little
effort they seem to make to produce that power. Part of the interest in a
sequence of performances such as this is to see and hear how the performers
mould themselves to the demands of the different works. A case in point is
Eva Randová who adds an operatic power to her singing here that was (appropriately)
missing from the Biblical songs. Indeed this is a very sensitive quartet
of soloists whose voices and musical temperaments are perfectly in tune with
the music. As mentioned before this is not as theatrical a work as
the Verdi Requiem but that is not to say it lacks thrilling moments
- the climax of the Tuba Mirum [chapter 5] is a hairs-on-the-back-of
your-neck moment and if you risk some distortion by turning this passage up
a little higher than normal the conviction and power of this performance blazes
through - including the extraordinary touch in the scoring of using sleigh-bells
to point the climax. As mentioned, Altrichter ‘physicalises’ much more than
Belohlávek but I rather enjoy seeing that level of commitment from the podium.
Listeners coming new to the work hoping for the great streams of memorably
Bohemian melodic flow that mark out Dvorák's mature symphonies will be disappointed
but instead there is a remarkably concentrated musical argument that is superbly
constructed to guide you to the spiritual meaning of the mass proper. Much
as I love the Verdi I occasionally forget it is first and foremost a Requiem,
something that does not happen here. That impression is aided here time and
again by the superbly controlled expressive singing of the chorus. I was particularly
impressed by their dynamic range and even tonal warmth across the entire range
of both dynamic and pitch. Listen to their beautifully graded Amens at
the close of the Lacrimosa [chapter 9] or the sheer exultant energy
in the fugal passages of the Offertorium or Hostias movements
to know that this is a very fine choir indeed. As an aside - these choruses
have a Handelian contrapuntal pomp that made me wonder how much Dvorák was
shamelessly appealing to his English Victorian middle-class audience! Dvorák's
ear for instrumental colour is everywhere in evidence - the prominent parts
for the bass clarinet and cor anglais adding a sombre darkness to many of
the more reflective passages. The recording gives them a rather synthetic
prominence but it is a delight to hear them played so characterfully. It is
typical of these recordings that solo instrumental lines are unduly spotlit.
It diminishes any concert-hall illusion and does give the stereo sound-stage
a rather flat left to right split with no real impression of front to back
depth. A mention here too for the two male soloists; tenor Josef Protschka
and bass Peter Mikuláŝ. Protschka has just the right edge of steel in
his voice while Mikuláŝ possesses the kind of resonant bass that countries
in the old Eastern bloc seemed able to produce at the drop of a hat. One of
the fascinating aspects of Dvorák's compositional choices is that he uses
his soloists far more often a kind of semi-chorus, yes of course there are
solo lines and passages but the solos/duets are far less defined than in other
settings - he does not choose to highlight the individual over the group -
this is a collective act of worship and remembrance. It is worth remembering
what a big work this is too - longer (the performance here runs to
just shy of 110 minutes) by some distance than the nominally big Requiems
of Verdi or Brahms. Great credit therefore to Petr Altrichter and all the
performers that they not only sustain their concentration throughout but also
create a sense of cumulative prayerful intensity that leads inexorably to
the final Agnus Dei [chapter 14] which happens also to be the single
longest movement in the work. This movement is a movingly sombre work - with
the steady tread of a heavy-hearted if not funereal march. The ladies of the
choir provide an occasional shaft of light with Popp leading the great cries
of 'Lux Aeterna' which is the last great outburst in the work from that point
gently receding into a hushed eternity. Quite possibly this is the least appreciated
of Dvorák's true masterpieces and the performance here certainly does it great
justice. The applause of the Frankfurt audience is extended but rarely rises
above the dutiful with plenty of the public - this always infuriates me -
hurrying away after the most cursory of claps.
The third disc contains the more overtly populist Stabat Mater under
the baton of Libor Peŝek. At the time of this recording he was the best
known internationally of the three conductors in that he was in the middle
of his stint as principal conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
- indeed he was followed in that post in 1997 by Altrichter. The well written
liner booklet makes the point that this relatively early work - 1877 when
the composer was just twenty six was the piece that launched his international
career. A performance at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1883 created a sensation.
Interestingly it was not written as a commission but instead sprang from the
appalling multiple tragedies of losing three of his children early in their
lives. Dvorák's genius was to turn such dark despair into a work of art which
centred on the grieving mother of Christ at the foot of the cross. Although
the words of the Stabat Mater had been set many composers previously this
was the biggest and most overtly dramatic setting to date. This is clear from
the gathering clouds of the opening very extended movement Stabat Mater dolorosa.
Peŝek brings his soloists back to a more traditional position beside
the conductor's podium with the ladies to the left and the men to the right.
Peŝek himself conducts in a sternly sombre fashion with a complete absence
of histrionics. The presentation of the disc is identical to the other two
- starkly minimal titles, mediocre quality visuals and adequate but far from
demonstration quality sound. The sub-title option does work on this disc.
Curiously the choir here do not sound quite as tightly disciplined as in the
Requiem and again the recording struggles to cope with them singing at full
volume and much inner orchestral detail is lost along the way. Peŝek
prefers a rather plain approach which while avoiding the danger of sentimentalising
the work does rather underplay the inherent drama of it too. Of the soloists
only the bass Peter Mikuláŝ is the same as in the Requiem. Tenor
ŝtefan Margita makes an immediate and positive impression with an appealingly
free Italianate ring to his tone. Likewise soprano Eva Urbanová sings her
exposed first entry with beautiful poise and refined control. Mezzo-soprano
Katerina Kachlíková is the least appealing of all the soloists on display
here anticipating the ends of phrases and unsettling the ensemble. In comparison
to the imposing Randová she seems rather lightweight. The writer of the liner
notes makes the very valid point that the entire piece is in effect a sequence
of meditations on the passion of Christ ending with an ecstatic vision of
the resurrection. There is a danger therefore of a degree of sameness through
the bulk of the work. I am not sure Peŝek quite manages to avoid this
trap well though his forces perform for him. This is because he chooses to
maintain steady basic pulses throughout each movement avoiding impulsive extremes.
Its a deliberately anti-dramatic choice that the rather bronchial audience
and less than atmospheric recording rather undermines with any atmosphere
he creates shattered by an injudicious cough or technical blip. Peŝek
's conducting style is relatively detached too and whenever the cameras catch
him he is a picture of unemotional calculation. Which makes the ensemble slips
all the more surprising. All I can imagine is that there was less time to
prepare or the orchestra were not as engaged by the conductor as on the other
DVDs. Certainly part of the fascination of this set is exactly those kind
of comparisons. As a performance regardless of the medium I would not put
this interpretation ahead of the aforementioned Sawallisch or, perhaps more
surprisingly, the rather fine and fervent version from the Slovak Philharmonic
Orchestra and Chorus under Zdenek Koŝler that turns up in various guises
on Brilliant Classics. Of course there are highlights - the soprano/tenor
duet Fac, ut portem Christi mortem sounds radiantly beautiful in the hands
of such fine singers as here and Peŝek allows the tempo to flow effectively.
In such company the following Inflammatus et accensus sung by Katerina Kachlíková
disappoints. She keeps her head so resolutely in the score that communication
with the audience is minimised - she fails to 'sell' the music at all. Worse
still, she does not have the range for the lowest notes of her part and they
all but disappear. Certainly she sounds over-parted, too cautious both musically
and emotionally to carry the role, I did wonder if she was a late substitute
in the role such is her ill-ease.
Collectors familiar with the Fedoseyev/Moscow Radio Symphony Tchaikovsky cycle
also from the Alte Oper will know what to expect here technically and visually.
Personally I find these Dvorák performances to be infinitely more involving
than those rather routine and efficient Tchaikovsky discs. These discs can
be bought separately - I am not sure if there is a price benefit from buying
them together. The stand-out performances are the Violin Concerto and the
Requiem - both are excellent. The rest of the disc 1 is of a lower order musically
but receives fine performances. Only the Stabat Mater disappoints by not being
as thrilling as I had expected it to be simply because Peŝek is not at
his visionary best. Because of the technical shortcomings of these DVDs at
the full price they are offered for I find it hard to recommend this set very
highly. Certainly, do not buy it to test out your new HD 50 inch television
and surround sound system, but do consider it if you want to witness much
music-making of the highest order from - in effect - a different era. As often
happens when watching or listening to a sequence of recordings the ear and
eye accommodates shortcomings that initially infuriate. So it was with this
set; the glory of the music allied to the brilliance of some of the performances
resulting in an uplifting experience reinforcing once again the genius of
this most humane of composers.
Nick Barnard
An uplifting experience.