Christus am Ölberge (Christ on the Mount of Olives), oratorio, Op. 85 (1802/03)
Luba Orgonasova (soprano); Plácido Domingo (tenor); Andreas Schmidt (Peter)
Rundfunkchor Berlin/Simon Halsey
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin/Kent Nagano
rec. September 2002, Jesus Christ Church, Dahlem, Berlin
Full German texts and translations in English and French
HARMONIA MUNDI HMG 501802 [47:35]
Originally released in 2003 Harmonia Mundi now reissues this
recording. The oratorio is certainly not one Beethoven’s
greatest inspirations but with a performance and sound quality
as excellent as this it would be hard to imagine better advocacy.
Christ on the Mount of Olives was Beethoven’s only
oratorio. It was completed in 1803 soon after writing his infamous
‘Heiligenstadt Testament’ and before writing the Eroica.
Beethoven himself introduced Christ on the Mount of Olives
in 1803 at the Theater an der Wien. Remarkably, at that same concert,
Beethoven was also giving premieres to two other works the Symphony
No. 2 in D major and the Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor.
Franz Xaver Huber wrote the text which portrays the emotional
turmoil of Jesus and his subsequent arrest by soldiers in the
Garden of Gethsemane where he went after the Last Supper on the
night before his Crucifixion.
In this substantial work, lasting around fifty minutes, Beethoven
has written for three solo voices. Plácido Domingo’s
secure tenor is heard to its golden best in the aria Meine
Seele ist erschüttert (My Soul is deeply distressed)
impressively portraying Jesus in the depths of despair imploring
God to end his suffering. As the Angel soprano Luba Orgonasova’s
vocal is brightly lit. She sings with confidence in the aria Preist
des Erlösers Güte (Praise the Redeemer for
his goodness) giving warning of the penalty for those who
dishonour the Lord. A real highlight is the duet between Jesus
and the Angel So ruhe denn mit ganzer Schwere, auf mir, mein
Vater, dein Gericht (Then let your sentence fall on me,
O Father, in its full severity). It’s splendidly communicated
with especially impressive blending of the voices. In the part
of Peter, Andreas Schmidt with his imposing rock-steady bass,
contributes tellingly to the marvellously rendered trio In
meinen Adern wühlen gerechter Zorn und Wut (The
blood in my veins boils with righteous anger and fury). Chorus
master Simon Halsey has coached the Rundfunkchor Berlin who impress
greatly in all their choruses. They display remarkable unity with
especially gratifying singing in the Chorus of Angels Welten
singen Dank und Ehre (Let worlds sing thanks and glory).
Under Kent Nagano the world-class Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester
Berlin play throughout with commitment and sensitivity.
The Harmonia Mundi engineers have provided clear and well balanced
sound from this greatly sought after recording venue. Splendidly
presented this Harmonia Mundi Gold reissue contains an informative
booklet complete with full German texts with translations in English
and French.
This is an urgent and alert account of the oratorio Christ
on the Mount of Olives compellingly performed and splendidly
recorded.
Michael Cookson
Previous review: Ralph
Moore
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