Music for Two Organs – The Viennese Habsburg Court of the 17th Century
See end of review for track-listing
Johannes Strobl, David Blunden (organs)
Choralschola der Cappella Murensis
rec. 29-31 July 2011, Abbey Church of Muri, Canton Aargau, Switzerland. SACD stereo and multichannel. Reviewed in SACD stereo
Sung texts and translations provided
AUDITE 92.653 [72:36]
Audite have produced some of the finest organ recordings I know; among
them is the first in their three-volume set of Franck played by Hans-Eberhard
Roß (review),
a disc of Christmas Preludes from Muri (review)
and Es ist ein Ros’ entprungen, a festive potpourri of organ/choral
music from Bonn (review).
Apart from the warmth, clarity and essential spaciousness of these recordings
the choice of repertoire and instruments is also inspired. How refreshing
to hear Franck played on the expressive yet ultra-refined Goll instrument
of St Martin’s, Memmingen, rather than on a huge, less-than-subtle Cavaillé-Coll,
and how bright-eyed and rosy-cheeked those wintry Preludes are made to
sound.
The ancient Abbey Church of Muri has a long association with the Habsburg
dynasty, so it’s appropriate that some of the music here is by Leopold
I (1640-1705), otherwise known as Leopold Ignatius Joseph Balthasar Felician.
Of the two organists Sydney-born David Blunden is new to me, but Johannes
Strobl, Muri’s Director of Music, impressed me greatly with that collection
of Christmas Preludes. In the choral items – O quam dulcis
a 8, Victimae paschali laudes, Veni Sancte Spiritus and
the Salve Regina – they are joined by the Choralschola der Cappella
Murensis.
The two organs – the ‘Evangelienorgel’ played by Blunden, the ‘Epistelorgel’
played by Strobl – were built in 1743 by Joseph and Viktor Ferdinand Brossart.
Both have been repaired and restored over the years, most recently in
1991-1992. Situated on either side of the High Altar they set the stage
for some delightful interplay and ear-pricking antiphonal effects. That’s
immediately evident in the opening piece by the Venetian composer – and
Kapellmeister at the Habsburg court – Giovanni Priuli.
What a joyful noise these baroque organs make; clearly they aren’t large,
but their forthright character – not to mention their lovely top-end sparkle
– are superbly caught by the Audite engineers. The recording has plenty
of body as well, with a discreet but telling bass, and there’s no muddying
echo either. Most impressive is the enthusiasm and polish of these performers,
whose ebullience and sure sense of style give the music such a lift. This
tasty fare is nicely contrasted with the much leaner but wonderfully buoyant
Conzon a 6 by Giovanni Valentin, who succeeded Priuli as court
Kapellmeister in 1626. The latter’s piping little Canzone
Seconda is a joy to hear; sonorities are always pleasing, the music
is perfectly proportioned and all decorations are tastefully executed.
The programme is cleverly constructed too; Priuli’s stately O Quam
Dulcis a 8 and the dark-hued Easter Sequence are a good foil to what’s
gone before. There’s an extra weight and warmth to the latter – not to
mention refined playing, singing and sonics – that cossets the ear and
gladdens the heart. Indeed, it’s ages since I’ve heard such disciplined
and dulcet tones from Baroque organs, and I suspect the sense of space
and ‘air’ around the choir is even more tinglesome in multichannel.
After the deliciously florid and very danceable rhythms of Wolfgang Ebner’s
Partite sopra l’Aria Favorita Froberger’s slow Toccata
and the fluting Capriccio are taken by Strobl and Blunden respectively;
needless to say both pieces are impeccably done. They rejoin the small
but beautifully blended choir for what is probably the most moving and
atmospheric work here, the Pentecostal Sequence Veni sancte Spiritus.
Back in the days of vinyl this is what we called a demonstration-quality
recording; happily, that’s also true of the CD layer, which suggests Audite
have mastered this disc with great skill and sensitivity.
The pieces by Leopold I – now grave, now animated – are accomplished enough,
but it’s Valentini pupil Johann Kaspar Kerll’s cuckoo imitation – a conceit
favoured by composers of the period – that’s sure to raise a smile. Not
only is it artfully written it’s also played with evident delight and
a wonderful lightness of touch; and there’s more mimicry and wit to be
heard in the bright, fugal cacophony of grasshoppers in Clamor grillorum
campestrium. After that spot of levity Blunden plays the majestic
Ricercar by the Austrian Franz Mathias Techelmann, while Strobl
and the choir round off this cherishable programme with Techelmann’s simple
yet deeply affecting Salve Regina; indeed, the splendid acoustics
of this venerable building, its characterful organs and the you-are-there
recording combine to produce some of the most ravishing sounds imaginable.
Audite have done it again; their consistently high production values –
a surprisingly rare commodity in recorded music these days – extend to
the glossy, informative and well-presented booklet and super jewel case;
alas, it seems the latter may become a rarity, as the first of Audite’s
new Vierne discs with Hans-Eberhard Roß – awaiting review – comes in a
ghastly Digipak. That said, I have no reservations about this Muri disc
which, like that Franck set in 2008, could well be one of my picks of
the year.
Radiant music, superbly played, sung and recorded; a must for Baroque
buffs, organ fanciers and audiophiles alike.
Dan Morgan
http://twitter.com/mahlerei
Radiant music, superbly played, sung and recorded; a must for Baroque
buffs, organ fanciers and audiophiles alike.
Track-listing
Giovanni PRIULI (c1575-1626)
Civitas beata Ierusalem a 8 [3:14]
Giovanni VALENTINI (1582/83-1649)
Conzon a 6 [in G] [2:33)
Giovanni PRIULI
Canzone seconda a 8 [3:39]
Giovanni VALENTINI
Conzon a 6 [in G] [3:45]
Giovanni PRIULI
O quam dulcis a 8 [4:17]
Ostersequenz (Easter Sequence)
Victimae paschali laudes [5:28]
Wolfgang EBNER (1611/12-1665)
Toccata [in G] [2:42]
Partite sopra l’Aria Favorita [7:23]
Johann Jakob FROBERGER (1616-1667)
Toccata [sexta] da sonarsi alla levatione [5:48]
Capriccio [quinto] [3:57]
Pfingstsequenz (Pentecostal Sequence)
Veni Sancte Spiritus (alternatim mit anonymen Praeambula) [7:04]
Leopold Ignatius Joseph Balthasar FELICIAN (1640-1705)
Allemanda. 60.a – Aria. 61.a – Canario. 62.a [3:53]
Johann Caspar KERLL (1627-1693)
Capriccio sopra il cucu [2:53]
Alessandro POGLIETTI (d. 1683)
Conzon uber das Hennen und Hannen Geschre˙, Capriccio uber das Hennen
und Hannen Geschr[e˙], Daß Hannen Geschra˙ [4:04]
Johann Caspar KERLL
Fuga: Clamor grillorum campestrium [1:30]
Leopold Ignatius Joseph Balthasar FELICIAN
Aria. 63.a – Gavotte. 64.a – Sarabanda. 65.a [3:50]
Franz Mathias TECHELMANN (c1649-1714)
Ricercar [in C] [3:44]
Salve Regina [2:41]
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