Jan Dismas ZELENKA (1679 - 1745)
Missa votiva in e minor (ZWV 18)
Joanne Lunn (soprano), Daniel Taylor (alto), Johannes Kaleschke (tenor), Thomas
E. Bauer (bass)
Kammerchor Stuttgart, Barockorchester Stuttgart/Frieder Bernius
rec. 7-9 July 2008, Evangelische Kirche of Reutlingen-Gönningen, Germany.
DDD
CARUS 83.223 [69:15]
Jan Dismas Zelenka was one of the best composers of his time, whose works
were highly appreciated by Johann Sebastian Bach. His life was however touched
with tragedy. In 1710 or 1711 he was appointed as a double-bass player in
the court orchestra in Dresden, but soon he also became active as a composer.
In the dedication of his first mass to the Elector August the Strong he asked
for permission to go to Italy and France to broaden his musical horizons;
this request wasn't granted. The Kapellmeister at the time was Johann
David Heinichen, who in the 1720s often fell ill, and whose duties had to
be taken over by Zelenka. When Heinichen died in 1729 Zelenka hoped to be
appointed as his successor. But his hopes were dashed when in 1733 Johann
Adolf Hasse got the job instead.
It is not known for sure why Zelenka was passed over, but it seems likely
that his style of composing was considered old-fashioned, whereas Hasse was
more modern and would be a better fit with the fashion of the time. The fact
that Bach admired his music is an indication of Zelenka's preference for a
'learned' style, in which traditional German counterpoint played an important
role. Zelenka's many compositions, in particular his religious works, impressively
show how well he mastered counterpoint and how he was able to merge the tradition
with modern concertante elements. There are even some traces of the galant
idiom in his oeuvre.
In the 1730s Zelenka continued to compose religious music but it wasn't often
performed during services. The Missa votiva was the first of six masses
which Zelenka aimed to compose; only four were actually written. It is likely
that these masses were not written for liturgical performance but rather for
personal reasons, probably comparable to Bach's last works, like the Kunst
der Fuge and the Mass in B minor. At the beginning of the Missa votiva
Zelenka wrote a motto: "Vota mea Domino reddam" (I will fulfill
my vows to the Lord). A postscript on the last page of the score says, again
in Latin: "Jan Dismas Zelenka composed this mass to the greater glory
of God because of a vow, after he had regained his health with the help of
God".
Zelenka's music is always good for a surprise or two, and the audience is
often set on the wrong track. The opening section of this mass, Kyrie eleison,
for instance, begins in a surprisingly jubilant mood, but then suddenly takes
a sour turn with a descending passage which is to return time and again. This
section is parodied in the closing "Dona nobis pacem". Also notable
is the lamento character of "Et incarnatus est" in the Credo, prefiguring
of the following "Crucifixus". In the first section of the Credo
the intonation of the opening words, "Credo in unum Deum", is embedded
in the overall texture, and repeated several times through all the voices,
from soprano to bass. In the episode "Et iterum verturus est" (and
he shall come again with glory, to judge both the quick and the dead) the
flow of the music suddenly comes to a halt, and after a general pause moves
on very slowly on the words "et mortuos" (and the dead). At the
end the same happens on "mortuorum" ([and I look for the resurrection]
of the dead).
It seems unlikely that Bach knew this particular mass, but he would certainly
have appreciated the symmetrical structure of the Gloria. It is divided into
seven sections, beginning and closing with two tutti episodes. Two solo arias,
for soprano and bass respectively, embrace the central section, again for
the tutti. This section, "Qui sedes", is split into two contrasting
episodes: "Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris", in a vivid rhythm, with
a remarkable unisono passage, and "miserere nobis", which is full
of dissonance and contains frequently repeated chords in the orchestral parts.
Several tutti sections have solo episodes; the tenor is only involved in these.
The soprano has three solos: Christe eleison (Kyrie), Qui tollis peccata mundi
(Gloria) and the Benedictus. Joanne Lunn sings them impressively, with excellent
diction and a very precise delivery. Daniel Taylor gives a moving performance
of "Et incarnatus est", and captures the Affekt of this episode
perfectly. Thomas Bauer sings "Quoniam tu solus sanctus" (Gloria)
alright, although he tends to go a little over the top, and uses a shade too
much vibrato. That is also the case in his solo in "Et resurrexit".
The Stuttgart Chamber Choir is one of the best in the world, and that again
shows in this recording. Consisting of eight sopranos, six altos, five tenors
and five basses, it produces a beautiful, strong yet transparent sound, and
the text is clearly audible. Zelenka's orchestral parts are always interesting,
and the Stuttgart Baroque Orchestra performs them with flair and understanding.
Zelenka's music never disappoints, and I don't hesitate to label this mass
a masterpiece. The performance displays this work in its full glory. Of all
recordings of Zelenka's music this disc is one of the best.
Johan van Veen
Another masterpiece by Zelenka - the performance displays the Mass in its
full glory