Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART [1756-1791]
Vesperae solennes de confessore in C major, KV 339 (1780) [28:30]
Requiem in D minor, KV 626 (1791) [44:48]
Sigismund Ritter von NEUKOMM [1778-1858]
Libera me, Domine (1821) [7:10]
Christina Landshamer, soprano; Sophie Harmsen, mezzosoprano; Julian Prégardien, tenor; Tareq Nazmi, bass; Nikolaus Pfannkuch, Cantor of the antiphons
Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin/Howard Arman
rec. live, 25 January 2020, Herkulessaal of Munich Residenz
CD2: Wege zur Musik (Paths to Music) [73:03]
BR KLASSIK 900926 [80:38 + 73:03]
Mozart’s Requiem, KV 626 is the key work on the first CD here. Bayerischer Rundfunk has recorded the subscription concert given on 25th January 2020 by the Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks and the period-instrument Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin (Akamus) conducted by Howard Arman. This was a memorial concert given in honour of the late Mariss Jansons (1943-2019), who had spent seventeen years as chief conductor of the Chor and Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. The second CD contains a ‘spoken introduction’ in German to Mozart’s Requiem, in the manner of a radio play, with the music playing in the background.
The first work on the album is Mozart’s 1780 Vesperae solennes de confessore, KV 339 (Solemn Vespers for a Confessor) for soloists, choir and orchestra, a six-movement setting in Latin of five vesper Psalms and the Magnificat, a canticle known as the Song of the Blessed Virgin Mary from St. Luke Gospel. Acclaimed as one of Mozart’s foremost sacred works, it is not nearly as familiar as, say, the ‘Great’ Mass in C minor, KV 427 or the Requiem. The score was intended for Salzburg Cathedral when Mozart was working for Hieronymus von Colloredo, the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg.
In Arman’s scheme, the five Psalms and Magnificat are prepended by twelve antiphons taken from festival vespers De Confessore Pontifici of the Gregorian Liber usualis; they are chanted here by cantor Nikolaus Pfannkuch. Arman has arranged each antiphon to be accompanied by organ intonations. This works well, adding to the graphic imagery of the Psalms and Magnificat. Right from the striking Dixit Dominus to the distinction of the Magnificat this is a performance bound by unaffected sincerity. Not surprisingly, I am singling out the breathtakingly magnificent Laudate Dominum (track 14) for soprano solo, much admired and also performed as a stand-alone work. Munich-born soprano Christina Landshamer is in glorious voice; her pellucid tone conveys reverence and an endearing vulnerability. Her noticeable vibrato is of little concern to me; if anything, it adds rather than detracting from her performance. Organist Raphael Alpermann, an accomplished player, makes the most of his part. Nikolaus Pfannkuch’s vivid contributions as Cantor of the antiphons also impresses.
The performances of the Vesperae solennes de confessore which I recommend have changed somewhat over the years. Frans Brüggen directing the Nederlands Kamerkoor and the Orkest van de Achttiende Eeuw has my growing admiration for his period-instrument account. He recorded the work in 1991 at Vredeburg, Utrecht (on Philips). Another worthy performance on period instruments is Peter Neumann directing the Kölner Kammerchor and Collegium Cartusianum recorded in 2004 at the Trinitatiskirche, Cologne (on MDG Gold; review). On modern instruments, there is the affecting live 2008 account by Charles Mackerras conducting the Staatsopernchor Dresden and Staatskapelle Dresden. A seasoned choral conductor, Mackerras recorded the score in concert at the Lutheran Frauenkirche, Dresden (on Carus).
Mozart’s Requiem was left incomplete at his death but it is regarded as a landmark setting of the Roman Catholic Latin Mass for the Dead. Over the years, there was much speculation about the mysterious circumstances leading to its composition. Many sources now agree that it was Count Franz von Walsegg-Stuppach who commissioned the Requiem in commemoration of his wife’s death, possibly with the expectation of misrepresenting the work as his own. Mozart’s friend and pupil Franz Xaver Süssmayr prepared a performable completion of the Requiem; it is frequently used today, owing to its closeness to Mozart’s score. A number of commentators have expressed belief that Süssmayr may have exaggerated his role in the completion. There have been other completed editions prepared by musicologists who must have believed in the value of their undertaking. Conductor Howard Arman’s version is based on Mozart’s sources and the additions by Süßmayr. Arman is circumspect about the inclusion of any new viewpoints of Mozart’s intentions, and considers it vital to honour the original work.
Arman’s period-instrument chamber orchestra Akamus adopts speeds that feel ideal; the playing is clear, focused and lean. One notes the absence of string vibrato, and the brass and drums have more prominence than in traditional modern instrument forces. Here the relatively dark fabric of much of the writing is most effective, and yet there remains the belief of hope. Organist Raphael Alpermann excels again. The Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks has a fabulous, noticeably pristine line, and flawless diction. Just consider Kyrie eleison and Lux aeterna, both well controlled and given to extraordinary effect, or Tuba mirum where all four soloists contribute in turn, then combine for the final line that reads cum vix justus sit securus?
Christina Landshamer’s short soprano solo, the Te decet hymnus section of the Introitus, is very fine, with pleasing tone and unaffected piety. German-born Julian Prégardien uses his distinctive lyric tenor voice with reverence, and communicates a fitting layer of melancholy. Sophie Harmsen, a German born in Canada, produces an assured performance; she delivers her tensile, rich-toned mezzo-soprano to fulfilling effect. Tareq Nazmi, the Kuwait-born and Munich-bred bass, is at his most dependable. He makes his firm and reverential contribution to Mozart’s vision of solace and optimism.
Predictably for such an esteemed work, there are numerous recommendable recordings. I cherish the stirring account of the Süßmayr completion by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos with the New Philharmonia Chorus (coached by chorus master Wilhelm Pitz) and the New Philharmonia Orchestra. The soloists Edith Mathis, Grace Bumbry, George Shirley and Marius Rintzler are a quartet that certainly pays dividends. This was recorded in 1967 at Kingsway Hall, London (on EMI Classics for Pleasure; review). Probably now considered ‘old school Mozart’ for the large forces employed, the account has the power and awe to move this listener.
The Süßmayr edition was also recorded in 1975 by Herbert von Karajan with the Wiener Singverein and the Berliner Philharmoniker at Philharmonie, Berlin (on Deutsche Grammophon). The soloists Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Agnes Baltsa, Werner Krenn and José van Dam are in exceptional form. Another first-rate recording: Claudio Abbado conducting the Schwedischer Rundfunkchor and the Berliner Philharmoniker with inspiring soloists Karita Mattila, Sara Minguardo, Michael Schade and Bryn Terfel (on Deutsche Grammophon). Abbado uses an edition based on the Süssmayr completion modified by Franz Beyer and Robert Levin. This captivating account was recorded live in 1999 at a special concert at the Salzburger Dom to commemorate the tenth anniversary of von Karajan’s death.
A very particular recording on period instruments is Philippe Herreweghe’s deeply moving 1996 account of the Süssmayr completion. Herreweghe directs La Chapelle Royale, Collegium Vocale Gent and the Orchestre des Champs-Elysées, Paris, and has a strong lineup of soloists: Sibylla Rubens, Annette Markert, Ian Bostridge and Hanno Müller-Brachmann. This is a recording of a live concert that Herreweghe and his forces gave at the Auditorium Stravinski, Montreux, Switzerland (on Harmonia Mundi France).
A new name to me is the Salzburg-born composer Sigismund Ritter von Neukomm, who I read had a friendship with brothers Joseph and Michael Haydn. In 1816-1821, he lived in Rio de Janeiro, where he stayed until 1821. During his time in Brazil, he conducted the country’s premiere of Mozart’s Requiem. For a forthcoming concert of the Requiem in Rio, Neukomm wanted to write his own completion. He felt Mozart would have concluded his score in the customary manner with Libera me, Domine, the responsory sung in the Office of the Dead. Sensibly, he utilised the incomplete score for extracts and themes to emulate Mozart’s own compositional style. Neukomm’s seven-minute Libera me, Domine has vitality but makes little impact. It is an effective composition of only moderate interest – unsurprising when set against Mozart’s genius.
Howard Arman conducts all pieces with assurance, in a period-informed style. Choral singing complements the accomplished period-informed playing of the thirty-four-strong Akamus on authentic instruments. The world-class Bavarian chorus shows a unanimity of cause, and supplies an inspired sacred sound, ardent, ample and immediate. Arman’s vocal soloists integrate splendidly and convincingly. Amid the emotional drama generated in the performances, the reverential nature of these sacred scores remains fundamental, and is honoured here faithfully.
Bayerischer Rundfunk has recorded the live concert from Herkulessaal, Munich with pleasing clarity, a first-class balance between soloists, chorus and orchestra, and a satisfying level of atmosphere. The live audience is scarcely a distraction; the applause has been taken out. This BR-Klassik set has a booklet with Latin sung texts with German and English translations. Howard Arman has contributed an article ‘Notes on this version of Mozart’s Requiem’. Apart from a short editorial, curiously there is no essay about the Vesperae solennes or Neukomm’s Libera me, Domine.
The second CD contains part of the BR-Klassik series Wissen (Knowledge). Wege zur Musik (Paths to Music), written by Markus Vanhoefer, is described as an introduction to Mozart’s Requiem. The content is presented in the manner of a radio play. Five narrators speaking in German are occasionally accompanied by background music from the Requiem. Interspersed in the dialogue are excerpts from an interview with Howard Arman. The album is clearly aimed primarily at the domestic market, given that the second disc may be of little value to those who do not speak German.
The period-instrument performances of the Requiem and Vesperae solennes on the first CD stimulate and inspire, and are definitely worth hearing, but the extremely fierce competition amongst recommendable recordings makes these live accounts uncompetitive. Even if they are valuable additions to the Mozart discography, the second CD is a deterrent.
Michael Cookson
Previous review: Mark S Zimmer
