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Heinrich SCHÜTZ
(1585 - 1672)
Schütz Edition: Volume 4
Anderer Theil kleiner geistlichen Concerten Op. 9 (1639)
Musikalische Exequien Op. 7 (1636)
Musicalia ad chorum sacrum, das ist Geistliche Chor-Music
Op. 11 (1648)
Anna Mikolayczyk, Anna Niewidzial, Marzena Lubaszka, Kamila Kulakowska,
Jana Reiner, Astrid Werner (sopranos) Rolf Ehlers (alto) Michael
Schaffrath, Stephan Gahler (tenors) Walter Testolin, Johannes Schmidt
(basses)
Arno Paduch (cornetto) Sebastian Krause, Kentaro Wada, Bernhard
Ziesch, Ercole Nisini, Volkmar Jager, Sebastiano Ricci (trombones)
Alessandro Osaria (organ)
Cappella Augustana/Matteo Messori (organ, spinettone, direction)
rec. July, August 2008, Church of Opawa, Poland
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 93972 [5 CDs: 53.54 + 44.44 + 59.42 + 62.03
+ 49.54; plus CD-ROM]
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Brilliant Classics and the Capella Augustana under Matteo Messori
continue their Schütz Edition with Volume 4 which includes
three significant works from Schütz’s maturity. These
are the Musicalisches Exequien, the Andere Theil kleiner
geistlichen Concerten and the first volume of Geistliche
Chor-Musik.
The Musicalisches Exequien is a single, multi-movement
work designed to be performed at a funeral service. It covers
less than a CD and the remaining four and a bit CDs are filled
with the other two works. These two are not single, multi-movement
works, but simply published collections. Schütz would have
been surprised to find all 31 of his Kleiner geistlichen
Concerten performed in one go.
Though Schütz was based in Dresden, and responsible for
the large Protestant chapel there, he did find time for outside
musical activities. One of these was to advise Prince Heinrich
Posthumus of Gera-Reuss, on musical issues; Gera-Reuss was the
area where Schütz was born. The Prince died in 1635 and
Schütz wrote his Musicalisches Exequien for the
Prince’s obsequies. Heinrich left detailed instructions
about his funeral, but does not seem to have actually commissioned
Schütz, his widow was responsible for this.
Schütz’s second volume of small sacred concertos
(Anderer Theil kleiner geistlichen Concerten) was published
in Leipzig in 1639. It contains a mixture of texts in Latin
and in German. All the motets are for voices and continuo only
except for the final two, all strongly Italian influenced. The
motets use a variety of voices from one to five, with solo-voiced
motets and duets being dominant. By the time the volume was
printed brief hopes for the end to the Thirty Years War had
vanished. In the introduction to the publication, Schütz
explained that interest in music, and ability to pay for it
in court chapels, was in decline because of the Thirty Years
War. As a result, Schütz produced this collection of 31
motets which eschewed obbligato instruments.
1648 finally saw the end of the Thirty Years War. That same
year, Schütz’s first volume of motets, (Geistliche
Chor-Musik) was published in Dresden in 1648 but was dedicated
to Leipzig City Council and the choir of the Thomas-Kirche.
The motets in the collection are all in the stile antico,
generally without basso continuo. In his printed introduction
Schütz stated that the motets were intended as model compositions.
A number of the final motets in the collection include obbligato
instruments and one, Der Engel Sprach is version of a
Latin sacred concerto by Andrea Gabrieli.
Messori and his group perform all the music one to a part, as
would have been true at the time except for very grand occasions.
For much of the time, Messori himself provides the continuo
accompaniment. He seems to disregard the published continuo
parts, which he says were produced by the publisher for marketing
purposes, and confines himself generally to doubling the vocal
parts.
The first CD covers the solo and duo movements from Op. 9, with
the second CD providing the movements for three and four voices.
Whilst there is something to be said for the idea of performing
the music in the printed order, frankly by the time I came to
CD 2 it was a relief to hear more than two voices. Then at the
beginning of CD 3, we briefly hear instrumental contributions
in the final two movements from Op. 9.
The Musikalische Exequien is perhaps one of Schütz’s
best known works and as such should be considered separately.
The performance here is creditable and fits in well with the
general ethos behind this venture, in which there are distinct
economic limitations to the recording process. But undoubtedly
the solo movements are better taken on other discs. The inclusion
here is necessary for the completeness of the edition, so Messori
and his forces give the Musikalische Exequien a thoughtful
but not brilliant performance.
With the motets from the Geistliche Chor-Musik we again
come up against the problems of performing them in the printed
order. We start with four-voiced pieces, then move to five voices
etc, with the motets with instrumental contributions coming
last. On these latter the cornetti and trombones make a welcome
contribution, though I was a bit worried about the balance with
the voices sounding a little recessed. The ordering not only
follows the motets voicing, but follows the church’s year
starting in Advent and working onwards.
Messori has assembled a talented group, who perform the pieces
creditably. Inevitably in an Edition like this, there are moments
where things slip, for example the soprano duet, Habe deine
Lust and dem Herren is not really convincing. But this is
balanced by some strong singing in other places, including a
series of superb contributions from the bass Walter Testolin.
The singers are recorded quite closely, but this generally matches
the intimate nature of the music. Their diction is superb and
you can frequently follow everything without the benefit of
printed words. These performances are highly communicative of
the text, which is exactly as it should be when performing Schütz.
There is some astonishing music on this disc, but it suffers
somewhat from the sheer volume of material. I must confess that
I rather wanted to like it more than I did; in theory though
I love the idea of a complete Schütz Edition. Messori’s
decision to perform the pieces in the simplest, plainest manner
with no added instruments except where necessary is entirely
admirable and does mean you concentrate on the music. But there
were moments when I must confess that I longed for a little
variety of texture, something with which to point up the special
qualities of the work being performed.
There is a CD-ROM with the set which includes an article in
English about Schütz and the music, Matteo Messori’s
biography and full sung texts in the original language and English
translations.
I can’t help but feel that this set is mainly for completists.
The singing is mostly entirely creditable, and sometimes more,
but not stunning enough to turn the 5 CD set into a bravura
tour de force. But at Brilliant’s prices it is
easy enough to buy the set and dip into it. My advice is to
buy the set, download it to your chosen digital music medium
and create your own playlists. The performances may sometimes
be ordinary, but the music never fails to astonish.
Robert Hugill
Full track details
Anderer Theil kleiner geistlichen Concerten Op. 9 (1639)
Ich will den Herren loben allezeit (1) [3.14]
Was hast du verwirket (5) [3.37]
O Jesu, nomen dulce (6) [3.37]
O misericordissime Jesu (7) [4.43]
Ich liege und schlafe (8) [3.46]
Habe deine Lust an dem Herren (1, 3) [4.59]
Herr, ich hoffe darauf (1, 2) [3.20]
Bone Jesu, verbum Patris (1, 2) [4.57]
Verbum caro factum est (1, 2, 9) [4.07]
Hodie Christus natus est (1, 6) [3.55]
Wann unsre Augen schlafen ein (4, 8) [2.56]
Meister, wir haben die ganze Nacht gearbeitet (6, 7) [2.18]
Die Furcht des Herren (6, 7) [2.17]
Ich beuge meine Knie (8, 9) [3.25]
Ich bin jung gewesen (8, 9) [2.29]
Herr, wann ich nur dich habe (1, 3, 6) [3.05]
Rorate coeli desuper (1, 2, 8) [2.32]
Joseph, du Sohn David (1, 2, 8) [2.52]
Ich bin die Auferstehung (6, 7, 8) [4.13]
Die Seele Christi heilige mich (5, 6, 8) [4.32]
Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ [2.31]
Allein Gott in der Höh sei Her [3.58]
Veni, Sancte Spiritus [4.38]
Ist Gott für uns [3.14]
Wer will uns scheiden von der Liebe Gottes [3.29]
Die Stimm des Herren [4.11]
Jubilate Deo omnis terra [5.25]
Sei gegrüsset, Maria (Dialogus) [5.58]
Was betrübst du dich [3.38]
Quemadmodum desiderat cervus [8.09]
Aufer immensam, Deus, aufer iram [7.32]
Heinrich SCHÜTZ (1585 - 1672)
Musikalische Exequien Op. 7 (1636)
Nacket bin ich vom Mutterleibe kommen [4.08]
Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt [0.50]
Capella: Er sprach seinem lieben Sohn [1.03]
Das Blut Jesu Christi (10, 7) [1.33]
Capella: Durch ihn ist uns vergeben [0.33]
Unser Wandel ist im Himmel (11, 8) [1.38]
Capella: Es ist allhier ein Jammerthal [1.24]
Wenn eure Sünde gleich blutroth ware (6, 7) [1.29]
Capella: Sein Wort, sein Tauf, sein Nachtmahl [0.33]
Gehe hin, mein Volk, in eine Kammer (5) [0.45]
Der Gerechten Seelen sind in Gottes Hand (10, 11, 8) [1.25]
Herr, wenn ich nur dich habe [1.28]
Capella: Er ist das Heil und selig Licht [1.10]
Unser Leben währet siebenzig Jahr (8, 9) [1.55]
Capella: Ach wie elend ist unser Zeit allhier auf dieser Erden
[1.33]
Ich weiss, dass mein Erlöser lebt (6) [0.48]
Capella: Weil du vom Tod erstanden bist [0.46]
Herr, ich lasse dich nicht [1.01]
Capella: Er sprach zu mir: halt dich an mich [1.36]
Herr, wenn ich nur dich habe [3.42]
Herr nun lässest du deinen Diener in Friede fahren [5.05]
Musicalia ad chorum sacrum, das ist Geistliche Chor-Music Op.
11 (1648)
Es wird das Szepter von Juda (Erster Theil) [2.54]
Er wird sein Kleid in Wein waschen (Anderer Theil) [2.32]
Es ist erschienen die heilsame Gnade Gottes [4.26]
Verleih uns Frieden genädiglich (Erster Theil) [2.33]
Gieb unsern Fürsten (Anderer Theil) [2.13]
Unser keiner lebet ihm selber [3.44]
Viel werden kommen [3.01]
Sammlet zuvor das Unkraut [1.42]
Herr, auf dich traue ich [3.17]
Die mit Tränen säen [4.03]
So fahr ich hin zu Jesu Christ [3.27]
Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt (Aria) [3.11]
O lieber Herre Gott [3.42]
Tröstet, tröstet mein Volk [3.54]
Ich bin eine rufende Stimme [4.18]
Ein Kind ist uns geboren [3.42]
Das Wort ward Fleisch [4.17]
Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes [5.08]
Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr (Aria) [9.25]
Das ist je gewisslich wahr [4.52]
Ich bin ein rechter Weinstock [4.03]
Unser Wandel ist im Himmel [4.19]
Selig sind die Toten [4.40]
Was mein Gott will, das gscheh allzeit [4.23]
Ich weiss, dass mein Erlöser lebt [2.59]
Sehet an den Feigenbaum [4.04]
Der Engel sprach zu den Hirten (super Angelus ad pastores Andreae
Gabrielis) [2.46]
Auf dem Gebirge [4.46]
Du Schalksknecht [3.33]
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