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Franz Joseph AUMANN (1728 - 1797): "Passionsoratorium"
Fabio Alves Pereira, Kendrick Nsambang, soprano (Der Glaube);
Laurenz Oberfichtner, Valentin Werner, soprano (ripieno);
Alois Mühlbacher (Die Hoffnung), alto;
Markus Miesenberger (Die Liebe), tenor;
Alexandre Baldo (Der Sünder), bass
Ars Antiqua Austria
Dir: Gunar Letzbor
rec: March 28 - April 1, 2023, St. Florian, Stift St. Florian (Altomontesaal)
Accent - ACC 24405 (© 2024) (1.52'01")
Liner-notes: E/D; lyrics - no translations
Cover, track-list & booklet
Score
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Gunar Letzbor, violin, viola (solo);
Nina Pohn, Mira Letzbor, violin;
Peter Aigner, violin, viola;
Jan Krigovsky, violone;
Erich Traxler, organ
It seems that it is thanks to Gunar Letzbor that the music world has become acquainted with Franz Joseph Aumann. In 2011 Pan Classics released a recording of his Requiem, and a few years ago a disc with chamber music was released by Channel Classics. This time it is Accent that brings a work by Aumann to our attention, again performed under Letzbor's direction.
Aumann was born in Traismauer - northwest of Vienna, close to the Danube - and began his career as a choirboy in the Vienna Jesuit hostel, where he befriended Johann Michael Haydn and Johann Georg Albrechtsberger. In 1753 he entered the Augustinian monastery of St Florian. In 1754 he took vows, and was ordained a priest in 1757. From 1755 until his death he acted as regens chori. He composed a large oeuvre - the total number of his works is estimated at about 300. Only a part of his output has been preserved in the archive of the monastery. A considerable portion has been found elsewhere which is an indication of the appreciation by his contemporaries. Even after his death his music received attention, for instance from Anton Brucker who from 1845 to 1855 worked in St Florian as an assistent schoolteacher and singing instructor for the schoolboys.
The largest part of Aumann's oeuvre consists of sacred works, among them masses, Requiems, offertories and Magnificats. He also composed a mass in German as well as Passion oratorios. One of them is the Oratorium de Passione Domini nostri Jesu Christi. The recording which is the subject of this review is the result of what Letzbor, in his liner-notes, calls a "detective story". It all started in the St Florian monastery, to which Letzbor has close ties. He found parts of a Passion oratorio, which seemed to be missing so much material that a performance was out of the question. Later some of the missing material came to the surface, and a performance looked a possibility, although some substantial parts were incomplete. It was thanks to material from other sources that it was possible to prepare a score; only the bass part of the first chorus needed to be reconstructed. The fact that material from this work has been founded in several sources confirms that Aumann's music found a wide appreciation.
In this oratorio two traditions come together. The first is what is known as the sepolcro. According to New Grove a sepolcro is "[a] 17th-century genre of sacred dramatic music in Italian related to the oratorio and performed on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday at the Habsburg court chapels in Vienna." In Vienna it was abandoned after 1705, but elsewhere this tradition was copied and/or continued, as a recent recording of such a work by Antonín Brossmann (1731 - 1798) shows. This work is another example: the liner-notes don't mention when it was composed; that may not be known. Given where the material has been preserved, it was performed not in Vienna, but at other places.
The second tradition is that of the Passion oratorio. In such works the narrative of the Gospels about the passion and death of Jesus is ignored. Either they include a paraphrase of the story of Good Friday, seen through the eyes of people around Jesus, such as his mother and his disciples, or rather focuses on the emotions these people experience, seeing Jesus's suffering and death. Aumann's oratorio even moves further away from the Passion story. It rather focuses on the aftermath of Jesus's death, and especially the reaction of a sinner. There are four characters: Der Glaube (Faith; soprano), Die Hoffnung (Hope; alto), Die Liebe (Love; tenor) and Der Sünder (the Sinner; bass). The latter is the key figure; he has two long arias and a number of recitatives. The tenor is that the sight of the Cross and the dying Jesus should make the sinner repent. From that perspective one could also call this Passion oratorio a morality: the aim is to make the audience look at themselves. It is part of the attempts of the Counter Reformation to communicate the message of the church to the faithful in a way they could understand. That also explains the use of the vernacular. The instrumental scoring is very modest: two violins, viola - which in some arias has an obbligato part - and basso continuo.
The oratorio opens with an instrumental Introductio, starting with an episode in unison. The second half is a double fugue. This is followed by a dacapo chorus, which, after being opened by a tenor solo, is homophonic. The text refers to the earthquake at Golgotha and the resurrection of the dead. No wonder there are strong accents in the vocal and the instrumental parts. Then follows an aria of the sinner, which is the longest of the entire work, set to a slow tempo. The text is very long - one would expect it to be a recitative. It has no dacapo; the text is devided into three episodes of more or less equal length, separated by instrumental episodes. This is the first aria in which the viola has an obbligato part. In the context of the entire work the place and content of this aria is remarkable. As I mentioned, the sinner is the main character: the thread of the oratorio is to bring the sinner to repentence. But here the sinner already expresses his sorrow for his sins; the aria closes with a prayer for mercy (*).
The 'story', so to speak, begins with the ensuing recitative of Faith: "Oh sinner, awake, open your eyes to see and your ears to hear the miracles that have taken place here. How long will you play with and mock God's grace?" In an arioso, Faith reminds him that his sins are the cause of Jesus's death. The sinner reacts angrily: who disturbs my peace? Faith urges him, who sleeps in sins, to awake from death. In the ensuing aria Faith uses the images of the earthquake and the solar eclipse to urge the sinner to revive his faith. Again, the text is illustrated by dynamic accents. The sinner is now disturbed: if his faith is revived, it will also bring to life his conscience; how can he find redemption for his sins? The reply comes from Hope: look at the Cross and Jesus will forgive. In his aria he again reminds the sinner of the dramatic events on Golgotha: these may be terrifying, but they are also a source of hope, as Christ's death is the sinner's life. Again, the strings illustrate the text, for instance at the start on the word "zittern" (tremble). When Hope refers to the dead who leave their tombs, this is first depicted by a slow tempo and in piano, but later with coloratura. In the B part there is an effective cadenza on (your) "life". The sinner is not convinced: he would rather hide in the bushes, like Adam in paradise. In an arioso, following the recitative attacca, he acknowledges that he is the cause of Jesus's death at the Cross.
Faith returns and says that when one takes the first step by acknowledging one's guilt, remission will follow. His recitative is followed by a duet of Faith and Hope, singing in parallel motion: they urge the sinner to believe that the death of the Saviour brings him life; the B-part ends on a rising figure with the text that through faith and hope the sinner will become God's child. Obviously there is no dacapo. The next recitative is a dialogue of the sinner and Love; the latter emphizes God's love as it is expressed in Jesus's death. This is followed by a love aria, which would not be out of place in an opera; its mood is graphically illustrated by the strings, and again the viola has an obbligato part. Love urges the sinner to love Jesus and repent. In a trio Love, Faith and Hope present themselves as the three sources of true repentence. Again, the three voices sing in parallel motion.
The sinner then succumbs: he is going to repent and the aim of his life is to avoid all sins, so that he will find Jesus's grace. He expresses his repentence with an aria: "Bitter-hot tears flow, like streams pouring down upon you. Heart, shatter, break apart with sorrow,
source of sin, be a fountainhead of true repentance." The strings play a major role again: the introduction lasts almost a minute. Quite effective is the coloratura on "Sundenquelle" (source of sin). The four characters draw the conclusion in a recitative, and then the oratorio ends with a chorus: "Jesus, through your bitter death, let us gain God's grace, that faith, hope, love, and repentance may free us from the guilt of sin." As the opening chorus, it is homophonic; it ends with "Jesu, Jesu".
The fact that the two choruses are homophonic and in the ensembles the voices move in parallels are indications about the style of this work. It is written in the galant idiom, and more especially the Neapolitan style, which was quite popular across Europe in the mid-18th century. In comparison with other oratorios, it is not very operatic, even though the arias are mostly quite demanding. That may well have to do with the fact that it was intended for Good Friday, and likely for performance within a monastery.
That does not reduce its emotional impact - probably on the contrary. I was struck by the amount of expression Aumann manages to achieve. The first aria of the sinner is also one of the expressive highlights: it is highly emotional account of the sinner's feelings as a reaction on the passion and death of Christ. The role of the viola, the instrumental interludes, the slow tempo and the text - they contribute to the impact this aria has. Alexandre Baldo delivers a masterful performance; he has the main role here, and he is the ideal interpreter of the part of the sinner, who completely identifies with his character. Markus Miesenberger's clear and flexible voice is perfectly suited for the role of Love; his aria 'Brennet zarte Liebesflammen' is one of the most beautiful of this work. Alois Mühlbacher has his roots in the choir of the St Florian, and is making a career as a male alto. His singing is stylish and he does full justice to the text. He sings his aria 'Wann man sieht die Erden zittern' beautifully, with effective cadenzas; the contrast between the A and B part is perfectly realized. The role of Faith is divided among two of the St Florianer Sängerknaben. This choir always has excellent voices in its ranks, and Fabio Alves Pereira and Kendrick Nsambang testify to that. They produce a beautiful and clear sound, and are technically mature. This is undoubtedly the way the oratorio was performed in Aumann's time. I am a great advocate of the use of boys' voices, and these two don't disappoint. One could argue that some words could have been emphasized a little more, and that the recitatives could have been sung with more rhythmic freedom. However, in the light over the overall quality of this performance, these are minor issues. Ars Antiqua Austria is excellent throughout, and is very responsive to the text and the Affekte of each aria.
Gunar Letzbor has put much effort into realizing this project. It has been well worth the effort. I am quite impressed by the quality of Aumann's oratorio. It would be nice if the score he has put together would be published. Apart from the musical quality of this work, its approach to the Passion of Christ is different from what we are used to hear during Passiontide. That makes this oratorio a valuable addition to the repertoire for this time of the year.
(*) The score, as indicated in the header, omits the first aria of the sinner. In wonder whether it should have been placed somewhere at the end, given the text.
Johan van Veen (© 2025)
Relevant links:
Alexandre Baldo
Markus Miesenberger
Alois Mühlbacher
St. Florianer Sängerknaben
Ars Antiqua Austria