Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248
Dorothee Mields (soprano), Elvira Bili (alto), Patrick Grahl (tenor, Evangelist), Markus Schäfer (tenor, arias), Klaus Häger (bass)
Thomanerchor Leipzig
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra/Gotthold Schwarz
rec. live, December 2018, Thomaskirche, Leipzig,
ACCENTUS MUSIC ACC30469 [75:24 + 68:47]
This is clearly a very special issue – J.S. Bach straight from the church in the heart of Leipzig where he crowned his great career. I was privileged to conduct concerts in Leipzig last year, and entering the ‘Thomaskirche’ observed almost immediately the warmth and uncomplicated excellence of the acoustics there. That quality is reflected in this issue, which puts some of the finest young Bach solo singers together with the Thomanerchor – the boys’ choir of the church - and members of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.
So the musicianship on display here is of the highest order, and the whole oratorio is steered with effortless aplomb by the current ‘kantor’ – essentially the choir’s conductor and director of music at St. Thomas - Gotthold Schwarz.
There are no translations of the German texts in the booklet, which is a pity, even though these are by no means hard to come across online. However there are excellent short essays about each of the cantatas by Katharina Rosenkranz, who also raises the inevitable question of whether this is truly an oratorio at all, with its six cantatas which were performed quite separately in Bach’s day. Each cantata stands alone perfectly satisfactorily; but I have to say that it is a marvellous experience to listen to them all in a couple of sittings as I have done this past week.
Let’s deal with the choral singing first – and it’s superb! The boys of this choir, which has been in existence for over 800 years - have a famously unique tone, with the perfect combination of ‘gutsiness’ and vocal beauty. Nobody could possibly mistake these for girl trebles! (Which by the way is not to denigrate the many excellent cathedral and church choirs in this country which use female choristers. It’s simply a case of ‘vive la diffèrence’). The boys are supported by adult choristers of equal excellence, and they sing as if this often hugely demanding music was second nature to them – as it no doubt is. Listen to the opening chorus of Cantata 1 and you’ll immediately get a flavour of what I mean. Everything is sung with deep ad straightforward commitment, but also with a great sense of style, and plenty of variety of colour and dynamic.
The soloists are an outstanding group. Soprano Dorothee Mields sings with unaffected sweetness, and her performance of the ‘echo’ aria ‘Flöst, mein Heiland’ in Cantata 4 is one of the highlights of the discs. This number is one of Bach’s most memorable, with its vocal echo supplied by Clemens Sommerfeld, and the Gewandhaus oboists providing the instrumental ones.
The alto soloist gets some of the most enviable arias, and Elvira Bili gives fine accounts of ‘Bereite dich Zion’ in Cantata 1 and the gorgeous lullaby ‘Schlafe, mein Liebste’ in Cantata 2. Both tenors are splendid, Patrick Grahl delivering the Evangelist’s recitatives with the ideal balance of musical phrasing and quasi conversational style. Markus Schäfer has the tenor arias – and there are some ferocious ones, such as ‘Ich will nur dir zu Ehren leben’ in Cantata 4, which requires a virtuoso technique; this is one of Bach’s most complex arias, and the instrumental accompaniment amounts to an entirely self-contained trio sonata movement! Fortunately both Schäfer and his instrumental colleagues have the technique and musicality to deliver a flawless performance.
Bass Klaus Häger has a relatively light, flexible voice, and a most pleasing tone-quality. His ‘Erleucht auch meine finstre Sinnen’ in Cantata 5 is a really fine and sensitive piece of singing, in duet with Philippe Tondre on the oboe d’amore obbligato.
The instrumental playing is top class, and the many demanding solos are delivered with unimpeachable sense of style. There is one strange thing though; the whole work begins with five bold strokes on the timpani, on the notes D-D-D-D-A. But each time they recur, the second D seems to be missing! Maybe it’s just being ‘phrased off’ for some musical purpose; whatever it was, I found it most distracting! One small disappointment is the recording balance for that astonishing trumpet solo that concludes the work in the final chorale. The trumpet just needs to be a little more forward, especially as it sounds to be beautifully played. This is surely one of the great moments in all the Bach choral works, and the impact wasn’t quite there.
Other than that the recording is exemplary, with everything easily heard that needs to be heard; very clear, yet allowing the building to lend its special character to all the music.
All in all then, I found this a wonderful issue, and surely one that now rises to the top level of recommendations for this glorious work. Might I suggest, as the family settles down for its 93rd viewing of The Wizard of Oz, immersing yourself for a few hours in the glories of Bach’s masterpiece, with perhaps a glass or two of a good Spätlese to keep you company? Frohe Weihnachten!
Gwyn Parry-Jones
