Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Nänie, Op. 82 (1881) (1868-1871) [11:34]
Gesang der Parzen, Op. 89 (1882) [10:10]
Alto Rhapsody, Op. 53* (1869) [11:53]
Schicksalslied, Op. 54 [14:17]
*Alice Coote (mezzo)
Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Bamberger Symphoniker – Bayerische Staatsphilharmonie/Robin Ticciati
rec. 10-13 March 2009, Konzerthalle, Bamberg – Joseph-Keilberth-Saal DSD
German texts, English and French translations included
TUDOR 7167 [48:08]
This CD usefully gathers together the four most significant works in Brahms’s
output for chorus and orchestra, with the obvious exception of Ein deutsches
Requiem. Readers will already have noticed the rather niggardly playing
time so let me hasten to assure them that it is only in this respect that
the disc offers short measure: the music and the performances are of high
quality.
The young English conductor, Robin Ticciati, has attracted a great deal of
favourable notice in a relatively short space of time. Already installed as
chief conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (from the 2009/10 season)
he will become First guest conductor of the Bamberger Symphoniker from the
2010/11 season. This, I suspect, is his first recording with the orchestra
and in it he reveals himself to be a fine Brahmsian.
The Alto Rhapsody is the best-known piece on the programme and I was
very pleased to see the British mezzo, Alice Coote in the solo role. I saw
her sing the piece on television a year or two ago at the Henry Wood Promenade
Concerts. Here, freed from the necessity of projecting into such a vast auditorium
as the Royal Albert Hall she can sing with the proper intimacy that much of
the piece requires. It’s a remarkable work in many ways. The later Gesang
der Parzen has a surprisingly large amount of dissonance in its harmonies
but the way is surely paved in the searching music of the Rhapsody.
Ticciati conducts it with maturity and is successful at laying out the stark
winter landscape portrayed in the opening pages. Alice Coote sings very well;
her vocal production is unforced and her warm, expressive tone gives much
pleasure. Throughout the piece her voice is in good focus and I especially
admired her poise at the telling phrase “Die Öde verschlingt ihn”. Ticciati
accompanies his soloist considerately and his orchestra realises the textures
of the music very well. Miss Coote is successful in putting across the introspective
side of the piece and then, when the famous heart-easing melody appears -
“Ist auf deinem Psalter” – her delivery of it is lovely, with the male voices
of the choir in good support.
I came to know Nänie several years ago through taking part in a series
of performances; it’s a very fine piece. It is, as Colin Anderson says in
his booklet note, a work that contains “music of rapt contemplation and remarkable
loveliness”. Indeed, the oboe melody that’s heard near the start is of a stature
comparable with the theme for the same instrument in the slow movement of
Brahms’ Violin Concerto. Ticciati leads a splendid performance. The music
unfolds with due spaciousness and warmth but without any suspicion of wallowing.
The choir is full-toned and well balanced. They produce some fine quiet singing
but, when required, there’s ample power without any need to force the tone.
It’s a very satisfying performance and to my ears Ticciati seems to get everything
just right.
Gesang der Parzen is, musically, a very different proposition. This
was the composer’s last work for choir and orchestra and it contains a good
deal of turbulent, dark music. The darkness is emphasised by elements of Brahms’
scoring. He includes parts for a contrabassoon and a tuba while the choir
is divided into six parts, including two alto parts and two bass parts. The
piece begins quietly and from the outset a marked and appropriate degree of
tension is present. The volume is increased significantly for the second stanza
of the words, which are by Goethe, beginning “Der fürchte sie doppelt” (“Let
he [who is raised up by them] fear them doubly”)and the choir rise to the
occasion with some exciting singing. The whole piece is concentrated and is
tragic in tone. Ticciati directs his forces with admirable energy. The spectral
end, in which the contrabassoon is a discreet but telling presence, is well
managed.
Schicksalslied mixes the sublime and the dramatic. The spacious introduction,
in warm E flat major, is one of the most radiant passages of Brahms that I
know. In this account the muted violins sing out the main theme most affectingly
while the timpani pound quietly underneath. The gentle entry of the choir
– led excellently by the altos – sustains the mood of the introduction perfectly.
Later, at “Doch uns ist gegeben”, the music plunges abruptly into C minor
and Brahms’ music is bitingly dramatic, recalling “Tod, wo ist dein Stachel”
in Ein deutsches Requiem. Finally, Brahms relents and revisits the
music of the introduction, but this time in C major. This is balm after the
storm and I always think that the prominence of the flute in this reprise
emphasises the lightening of the textures and the parting of the storm-clouds.
The whole performance of this fine work strikes me as a complete success.
There have been comparable couplings of these four short masterpieces in the
past. Claudio Abbado did them all to excellent effect with the Berliner Philharmoniker
for DG in the early 1990s (435 791-2) and they were also recorded for Decca
by Herbert Blomstedt in 1989, during his time in San Francisco. However, I’m
not sure that either set of recordings is currently available. Even if they
are, this newcomer offers an excellent alternative. Not only are the performances
very good but also the recorded sound is very satisfying – I listened to this
hybrid SACD in conventional CD form. My only reservation about the otherwise
well-produced booklet is that the English and French translations of Nänie
and of Gesang der Parzen are not aligned with the German words.
On this occasion I’d urge collectors to overlook the short playing time. These
are very fine examples of the art of Brahms and they’ve been well served in
these excellent recordings. I hope this is a harbinger of the forthcoming
partnership between Robin Ticciati and this distinguished German orchestra.
John Quinn
Very fine pieces by Brahms, which are well served in these excellent recordings