RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Sven-David SANDSTRÖM (b. 1942)
Messiah (2009)
Robin Johannsen (soprano), Roxana Constantinescu (alto), Timothy Fallon (tenor),
Michael Nagy (baritone), Festivalensemble Stuttgart/Helmuth Rilling
rec. live, Liederhalle Stuttgart, Beethovensaal, 6-7 September 2009
Sung texts and German translations enclosed
CARUS 83.453 [36:06 + 54:15]
Alittle over two months ago I heard the Scandinavian premiere of Sven-David
Sandström’s Messiah in Gävle. The artists were: Stefan
Parkman conducting choral forces from Uppsala, Gävle Symphony Orchestra
and soloists including Timothy Fallon, as on this recording, in the tenor
part. That concert was repeated in Uppsala two days later, which means that
the provinces for once were ahead of the Capital. In Stockholm the first performance
came a week later at the Berwald Hall, conducted by Herbert Blomstedt.
I was deeply moved by that performance (see review)
and hoped that there would sooner or later appear a recording. I had my request
granted sooner than I could have dreamt. The work was commissioned by the
Bach festivals in Oregon and Stuttgart; the Oregon premiere was in July last
year (2009); Stuttgart heard it two months later and this recording was made
on that occasion.
Sandström set the same text as Handel did, which invites comparisons.
It should be stressed, however, that Sandström’s aim was not
to imitate Handel. His tonal language is distinctly his own and though the
words are exactly those Jennens delivered to Handel Sandström finds other
solutions to how to set them. What is an aria in Handel’s work may be
a chorus in Sandström’s, for instance. Sandström’s arias,
are not da capo which means that Sandström’s work is shorter.
I was, naturally enough, very curious to see how I reacted to the music at
this second encounter. Let me say at once that I was just as overwhelmed.
The magnificent opening chorus Comfort ye, by far the longest number
in this Messiah, at once had me caught and the music never lost its
grip until Worthy is the Lamb and the concluding Amen had faded
away.
As in Handel’s work it’s the choruses that carry the heaviest
burden and Sandström knows exactly how to get the most out of the choral
parts, himself having sung in choirs for many years. The orchestral writing
is also extremely varied and colourful and there are numerous instrumental
solos, not least from the woodwind. The rhythmic vitality is striking and
the big percussion section has a field day.
Once again I marvelled at the chorus For unto us a child, the beautiful
soprano-alto duet He shall feed his flock and the Ramirez-like chorus
This yoke is easy, a hit if there is any justice in this world. Even
more the a cappella chorus Lift up your hand is among the most breathlessly
beautiful choral pieces ever. And what about the Hallelujah chorus?
Beginning hesitantly, as though the people are not quite sure that Lord God
Omnipotent really reigneth. But gradually the truth dawns upon them, the music
expands and becomes swinging and gospel-like. Joy permeates the crowd and
the final bars are truly ecstatic.
The performance in Gävle was impressive, with overwhelming orchestral
and choral contributions. But the work’s dedicatee Helmut Rilling and
his Stuttgart forces had already performed the Messiah at the world
premiere in Oregon’s Hult Center and were even more inside the music
during the two performances in Stuttgart and I can’t find anything that
disappoints. The technical demands on the soloists are high; they have to
execute quite a lot of coloratura, which they do with aplomb. The two female
soloists in particular are very good and Robin Johannsen’s Behold,
a virgin shall conceive is masterly. In Gävle I thought that Timothy
Fallon’s light tenor voice didn’t carry properly but there are
no such problems here. Michael Nagy is expressive in his powerful declamations
but his wide vibrato is sometimes too prominent for total enjoyment.
The recording is spacious and atmospheric and could just as well have been
a studio production, bar the applause at the end, which could surely have
been edited out. Sandström started out as downright avant-garde composer,
but he has, step by step, become more approachable - without losing his personal
tonal language. This new Messiah is deeply communicative in an idiom
that is modern but with a melodic and rhythmic beauty that should please even
listeners who normally fight shy of contemporary music. In my mind this is
one of the finest large-scale choral works during the whole post-war era.
Göran Forsling