Walter BRAUNFELS (1882-1954)
Grosse Messe in G minor, op. 37 (1923-26)
Simone Schneider (soprano); Gerhild Romberger (alto); Christian Elsner (tenor); Robert Holl (bass); Heiko Holtmeier (organ)
Philharmonischer Chor Berlin; Berliner Singakademie; Knaben des Staats- und Domchores Berlin
Konzerthausorchester Berlin/Jörg-Peter Weigle
rec. live, 1 May 2013, Philharmonie, Berlin
Latin text and German translation included
CAPRICCIO C5267 [75:20]
Walter Braunfels converted to Catholicism in the aftermath
of his experiences in World War I and in the years that followed he wrote
two very substantial works that demonstrated his faith. The first of these
was his Te Deum, Op 32 (1922) which I believe he regarded as a “token
of gratitude” for his conversion. Then came his Grosse Messe,
the composition of which occupied him for several years. Completed in 1926
the Mass was first performed in the following year under the baton of Hermann
Abendroth, who had also led the premiere of the Te Deum. According
to Jens F Laurson’s very useful notes the Mass received a few more performances
in 1927 and then languished in complete neglect until it was revived in Stuttgart
in 2010 by Manfred Honeck. That performance was issued on CD by Decca; it’s
still listed on Amazon but otherwise copies may be hard to find. I’ve
not heard Honeck’s recording but if it’s as good as his very impressive
2004 live recording of the Te Deum (Orfeo C 679 071 A) then it will
be worth seeking out – but in addition to this recording, not instead
of it. Interestingly, both of the female soloists who sing in this Capriccio
performance also sang in Honeck’s.
The present one, led by Jörg-Peter Weigle, was only the work’s second
outing in modern times. Though the booklet doesn’t say that it’s
a live recording I’m sure it was, based on the modest amount of inter-movement
noise and the fact that the performance was recorded on a single date. However,
there’s no intrusive audience noise and there’s no applause at
the end.
Though I’ve had the chance to hear and admire quite a bit of Braunfels’
music on disc in the last year or so the Grosse Messe was completely
new to me. It’s a most interesting and impressive composition. The scoring
is substantial: the work requires four vocal soloists, SATB chorus, boys’
choir, organ and a large orchestra. All six of the usual sections of the Ordinary
of the Latin Mass are set and there are two additional movements. The first
of these, after the Credo, is entitled Offertorium and is
a setting of verses from Psalm 85 (86), ‘Confitebor tibi, Domine Deus
meus’. Between the Sanctus and Benedictus comes a
short instrumental movement entitled Interludium.
The Kyrie gets the Mass off to an impressive start. The music starts
mysteriously, the chorus sounding awestruck. A beseeching soprano solo leads
off the soloists’ contributions and the movement rises to an impassioned
climax at ‘Christe eleison’ before relapsing into the opening
mood of mystery.
The Gloria opens jubilantly. There are a number of tumultuous passages
in this movement and the soloists’ roles are operatic in dimension –
as is the case elsewhere in the Mass. The music moves between lyrical and
dramatic episodes but I’d say that drama predominates. Braunfels’
textures are often complex and the music is never less than fascinating.
The setting of the Credo is on an epic scale – it plays for
28:13 in this performance. Part of the reason for that is Braunfels’
tendency to repeat words or phrases, though the music itself is anything but
repetitive. The movement begins with suppressed tension in the orchestra and
then the boys’ choir, making their first contribution to the score,
I think, intone the opening Credo. They do so confidently and it’s
worth saying at this point that the composer’s use of the boys’
choir is telling throughout and that the boys assembled here do an excellent
job. Braunfels makes the opening lines, ‘Credo in unum Deum’,
a strong affirmation of faith. At 6:02 the boys sing ‘Et in unum Dominum
Jesum Christum’ to a plainchant melody which underpins much of the following
passage. I may be mistaken but this was the first time I noticed a plainchant
motif woven into the music but it’s not the last time that this happens
during the remainder of the work. The music is awestruck at ‘Et incarnatus
est’ (11:22). Braunfels has his bass soloist announce ‘Et resurrexit’
(14:21). At first the glad tidings of the Resurrection are announced in a
fairly restrained way but the music soon becomes much more fervent. There’s
an interesting episode at ‘Et interim venturus est judicare …’
which is set to a very martial rhythm. At 21:18 a fugal passage for strings
introduces a long choral fugue on the words ‘et vitam venturi saeculi’;
could Braunfels have had the example of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis
in mind, I wonder, even if he eschews a hectic speed? The fugue achieves an
incandescent climax after which ‘Amen’ is sung to blazingly exultant
music. I haven’t begun to do justice to the amount of incident and inventiveness
that one encounters in this setting of the Credo. If its length seems
daunting, don’t be put off; it may be long but it’s not longwinded.
After such a teeming, eventful movement the listener really needs a break:
Capriccio sensibly have a gap of some 11 seconds at the end of the Credo
but you may wish to hit the pause button as well. Braunfels supplies welcome
contrast with the Offertorium. Here the music is calmer, the mood
prayerful. Much of the text is sung by the soloists. There’s a great
deal of contrast in the Sanctus, the music moving from mystery to
majesty. The very quiet ending is something of a surprise. The Interludium
that follows is a short, fairly subdued movement for strings, organ and brass
which flows seamlessly into the Benedictus. Once again I’m
struck by the structural parallel with Beethoven and the Praeludium
to the Benedictus in Missa Solemnis. The orchestral introduction
to the Benedictus is lengthy and ecstatic, with sweeping violins
much in evidence. The introduction of voices is delayed until 2:29 when the
choir begins to sing gently. Braunfels builds the intensity very strongly
as the movement unfolds but the hushed ending for unaccompanied choir is a
lovely touch.
The Agnus Dei offers another example of a progression from fairly
quiet beginnings to music that is intense and heartfelt. Despite the undoubted
intensity of the music Braunfels still manages to give his soloists some inspired
lyrical lines to sing. Jens F Laurson draws a parallel with Janáček in
this respect and though the two composers’ sound-worlds are very different
I think the point is well made. At the end the final pleas of Dona nobis
pacem are quiet and imploring. In something of a masterstroke Braunfels
gives the last word to the boys’ choir. The booklet quotes the reaction
of Manfred Honeck to those closing bars: “To end a piece with a boys’
choir is really unbelievable. The innocence of children, the idea of peace
carried forward by children … Children have peace … just the idea
is amazing. With Braunfels, it’s never about himself.” I agree:
it’s a highly original ending but, then, so much about this score is
highly original.
The performance seems to me to be an excellent one and one delivered with
very strong conviction – I only use the word “seems” because
the work was new to me when this CD arrived and I have no yardstick against
which to judge it. The notes tell us that Jörg-Peter Weigle, who is the chorus
master of the Philharmonischer Chor Berlin, was completely gripped by the
score when he first read it. That comes across in the way he conducts, obtaining
fine, dedicated playing and singing from his orchestra and choirs. It seemed
to me that sometimes Robert Holl sounded a bit strained and over-emphatic
in his delivery but overall the solo quartet is a strong one and Simone Schneider
is a commanding vocal presence.
The recorded sound is good and the notes provide a useful and enthusiastic
introduction to the work, including its performance history.
The more I hear of Walter Braunfels’ music the more impressed I am.
The Grosse Messe is an imposing work. Sadly, I suspect that the demands
it makes on performers and the conservatism of concert planners mean that
opportunities to hear it live will be extremely limited. We must be grateful
then for this fine, committed recorded performance which makes it possible
for us properly to evaluate this musical statement of faith.
John
Quinn
Note: German-speaking readers who want to learn more about the piece can access
a
very detailed programme note for the concert preserved on this CD, which
includes musical examples.
|
Support us financially by purchasing
this from
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|