Heinrich SCHÜTZ (1585 - 1672)
Die Sieben Worte Jesu am Kreuz (SWV 478) [15:39]
Erbarm dich mein, o Herre Gott (SWV 447) [04:06]
Lukaspassion (St Luke Passion) (SWV480) [50:43]
Ulrike Hofbauer (soprano), Jan Kobow (tenor)
Dresdner Kammerchor, The Sirius Viols (Hille Perl (viola da gamba), Lee Santana
(theorbo), Ludger Rémy (organ))/Hans-Christoph Rademann
rec. 17-21 April 2012, Stadtkirche "Zum Heiligen Namen Gottes",
Radeberg, Germany. DDD
CARUS 83.253 [71:06]
The three Passions which Heinrich Schütz composed in the 1660s are remarkable.
Stylistically they surprise because they seem to be out of step with the fashion
of the time. In these works the composer links up with the tradition of singing
the story of Jesus' Passion and death choraliter, with voices alone,
without the participation of instruments. They seem also to be in contradiction
with the expressive style Schütz practised in many of his sacred works. This
was - certainly in the latter part of his career - influenced by the newest
trends in Italian music. Perhaps because of their sober character they are
still largely neglected. They are not that often performed and the number
of recordings is limited.
One of the features of Schütz's Passions is the lack of emotional involvement
of the Evangelist. His part is purely narrative, and doesn't express any emotion.
Often whole phrases are sung largely at the same pitch; the vocal line only
derives from it when the text asks for it. That is the case, for instance,
when the Evangelist tells of the inscription above Jesus' head - the vocal
line moves upwards. The notes are all of the same length, and there is no
text repetition. There is more expression in the roles of the various characters
which appear in the Passion story. That is especially the case in the St
Luke Passion, since this gospel includes more direct speech by participants
in the story than the other gospels. The other emotional element consists
of the turbae, the choruses of groups of people. Schütz has set them
in such a way that the content is reflected in the music.
In this recording the roles are more or less reversed. By that I mean that
the part of the Evangelist is probably a little too 'expressive', whereas
the turbae are not expressive enough. Jan Kobow doesn't go as far
as the performers of the Evangelist's part in Paul Hillier’s St Luke Passion
and the St John Passion (review;
review).
However, there are several moments where he tends to emphasize elements in
the text through inflections in dynamics and tempo. When he recounts that
Jesus cried loudly, he also sings loudly ... but he shouldn't. Felix Rumpf,
in his account of the part of Jesus, comes closer to the ideal of a disengaged
narration. On the other hand, the choruses are far too flat; their more emotional
character is under-played. Although the roles of the soliloquentes
give some cause for expression, that aspect should not be exaggerated. The
general tempo of the performance of the St Luke Passion is rather
on the slow side.
Kobow's performance is not an unqualified success anyway. His diction is immaculate
and every word is clearly audible. However, it is disappointing that his singing
is marred by incessant vibrato. I can't believe that this is deliberate, and
rather suspect he was in less than optimal form during the recording sessions.
Fortunately the other singers are free from this. On the other hand, as the
Evangelist has by far the most pervasive part, this vibrato is regrettable.
Die sieben Worte unsers lieben Erlösers und Seligmachers Jesu Christi
is a completely different work and dates from 1645. Here Schütz uses the tools
which he had become acquainted with during his second visit in Italy and which
he also used in, for instance, the Symphoniae Sacrae. It begins and
ends with a tutti section, called Introitus and Conclusio
respectively. They use the first and the last stanza from the hymn Da
Jesus an dem Kreuze stund, but not the traditional hymn melody. Schütz
rather set them as five-part motets. The heart of the piece - embraced by
instrumental sinfonias - are the seven words which Jesus spoke at the cross,
taken from the four gospels. The words of Jesus are sung by a tenor, the narration
of the Evangelist is allocated to a single voice - soprano, alto and tenor
respectively - or set for four voices. Schütz makes use of instruments - in
this recording a consort of viols - and musical and textual repetition.
This work is the highlight of the disc. The various soloists give fine performances
and the tutti are also well sung by the Dresdner Kammerchor. The Sirius Viols
provide expressive interpretations of the instrumental parts.
They also take part in the sacred concerto Erbarm dich mein, o Herre Gott
which the booklet claims to have been recorded here for the first time. I
find that hard to believe as I have heard it several times in the past. It
is a very expressive composition for soprano and a consort of viols on the
text of the first stanza from a rhymed version by Erhart Hegenwald (1524)
of Psalm 51 (50). This is known in Latin as Miserere mei, Deus. The
melody dates from the same year and this is one of the relatively rare occasions
where Schütz makes use of a hymn tune as sung in the Lutheran church of his
time. Ulrike Hofbauer sings the solo part beautifully, and adds considerable
ornamentation. In this case I wonder whether that is correct. After all, this
piece has the character of a consort song and the voice should probably be
part of the ensemble rather than act as a 'soloist'.
On balance this is not the recording of the St Luke Passion I was
hoping for. Die Sieben Worte is given a good performance, but there
are several other good recordings available. That is different in the case
of the Passions. So far there are no really satisfying recordings on the market,
and this disc doesn't suggest that this state of affairs is going to change
soon.
Johan van Veen
http://www.musica-dei-donum.org
https://twitter.com/johanvanveen
Not the recording of the St Luke Passion I was hoping for.
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