Last December I reviewed
another disc of a cappella choral
music by Reger by these same artists.(review)
I wrote at the time: "The singing
on display here is absolutely first
rate. I can’t fault the choir on any
aspect whatsoever. The balance is superb,
dynamic control and contrast are most
impressive, tuning is flawless so far
as I can tell (I don’t have perfect
pitch) and the ensemble is crisp and
accurate. Rademann has clearly prepared
his singers excellently and this is
as fine an example of choral singing
as I’ve heard in a long time. The engineers
deserve credit too for reproducing the
choir in clear, natural sound."
Well, I’m sorry to be repetitive but
exactly the same is true of this companion
disc entitled O Tod, wie bitter bist
du. The achievement is all the more
impressive since the music of the Three
Motets in particular is more complex
and demanding.
The Acht geistliche
Gesänge are very late works,
dating from 1914, and were composed
after Reger’s treatment for a nervous
breakdown. Indeed, in a parallel with
Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto,
the pieces are dedicated to one of the
physicians who treated him. The texts
are taken from a compilation, Deutsche
Psalter (Ein Jahrtausend geistlicher
Dichtung) from which Reger had previously
drawn for his Op. 137, a set of twelve
sacred songs for solo voice and organ.
This information is contained in the
succinct but very useful liner notes.
The settings are essentially homophonic
and the choir is divided into between
four and eight parts. The music is firmly
rooted in the German Protestant tradition
and the Lutheran chorale casts a beneficent
shadow. To quote from the liner note:
"The pieces show Reger’s mastery
of the straightforward setting (consciously
avoiding complicated chromatic passages)
– a masterly ‘new simplicity.’"
Rademann and his choir give beautifully
moulded and very sympathetic accounts
of these lovely little pieces, none
of which is more than three minutes
long.
The Drei Motetten,
scored for seven- or eight-part choir,
are anything but simple. As will be
seen from the timings they are all substantial
pieces and all show the more complex
side of Reger’s muse. Mein Odem
is schwach (‘My spirit is weak’)
dates from 1909 and sets words from
the Book of Job. It begins in subdued
darkness and the NDR choir’s singing
is superbly controlled and very intense.
At the words "Führwahr, Gespött
umgibt mich" (‘Behold, they mock
me cruelly’) the music becomes jagged
and vigorous (track 9, 5’34").
Then a completely different mood is
struck at "Sei du selbst mein Bürge
bei dir" (‘Be yourself my stronghold
sure’). Here Reger provides a slow,
quiet chorale-like passage which is
much more consolatory in nature (7’30").
The piece ends with an extensive double
fugue (9’57") which is complex,
highly chromatic and which must be very
difficult to sing at all, let alone
with the marvellous clarity of articulation
that’s on display here. What could easily
be just a dry contrapuntal exercise
in lesser hands becomes instead an exhilarating,
affirmative conclusion.
Ach Herr, strafe
mich nicht! (‘O Lord, chasten me
not’) was composed in 1910 and is, if
anything, even more testing than its
predecessor. The words are taken from
several Psalms. The opening section
is emotionally (and harmonically) highly
charged. Rademann’s splendid singers
find a wide range of expression here
and their dynamic control is superb.
There’s a brief, homophonic passage
(track 10, 6’10") at "Ich
liege und schlafe ganz in Frieden"
(‘I lie down and slumber, deeply at
peace’). The words invite music of quiet
and loveliness. Reger rises to the challenge
and so do the performers, who sing it
beautifully. Yet again, the conclusion
is in the form of a fearsomely difficult,
chromatic double fugue, which must present
a huge challenge to sustain over some
6 ½ minutes. In the notes we read of
this piece: "The challenges, which
can scarcely be overcome, particularly
the concluding double fugue, have prevented
more frequent performances of the work…"
Well, all I can say is that the challenges
seem here to be treated as an opportunity
rather than a problem.
The last of the set,
from which this CD takes its title,
is O Tod, wie bitter bist du
(‘O death, how bitter you are’), which
was composed in 1912. to words from
the Book of Ecclesiasticus. Though shorter
than its companions it is still a piece
of significant substance. Reger himself
described it as "mortally sad…It
will be a shockingly sad work with a
transfiguring conclusion." The
music begins in the depths of grief
and continues in this vein for quite
some time. However, Reger is true to
his word. At the words "O Tod,
wie wohl tust du dem Dürftigen"
(‘O death, what balm you are’) the music
takes on the form of a slow, chorale
(track 11, 6’36") that gradually
brings comfort until on those very words
the piece ends in the relative radiance
of the key of E major. This motet, then,
encompasses a wide range of emotions
and it is convincingly communicated
thanks to the exceptionally fine singing
of this expert German choir.
I’ve described the
Motets at some length because they may
be unfamiliar to many readers, as they
were to me. They are splendid works,
well worth getting to know, and Reger
could not wish for better advocacy than
his music receives here. The documentation
is very good. There are informative
notes (on which I have drawn for this
review) in English, French and German
and the full texts are provided, though
there is only an English translation
This is a marvellous
disc, which I recommend very strongly
indeed.
John Quinn
NDR Chor, Hamburg/Hans-Christoph Rademann
