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Johann MATTHESON (1681 - 1764): Der gegen seine Brüder barmherzige Joseph
Ensemble Paulinum; Pulchra Musica Baroque Orchestra
Dir: Christian Bonath
rec: Nov 7 - 10, 2017, Reutlingen, Christuskirche
Capriccio - C5448 (© 2022) (49'47")
Liner-notes: E/D; lyrics - translations: E
Cover & track-list
Spotify
[EP] Cornelia Fahrion, soprano;
Jan Jerlitschka, alto;
Klemens Mölkner, Daniel Schmid, tenor;
Malte Fial, baritone;
Christian Bonath, Johannes Hill, bass
Johann Mattheson is a well-known name in music history. He has become known especially for his theoretical writings, such as Das neu-eröffnete Orchestre, Der vollkommene Capellmeister and Grundlage einer Ehren-Pforte. Authors of liner-notes often refer to his description of the affective meaning of musical keys. Mattheson is considered the main advocate of a new aesthetics in music, in which melody was the foundation of music rather than counterpoint.
As a composer Mattheson does not receive that much interest. That seems to be the fate of many composers who have manifested themselves as theorists (the same goes for Fux, Quantz and Leopold Mozart). Mattheson was one of the key figures at the music scene in Hamburg. He contributed to the repertoire of the Oper am Gänsemarkt, but only a few of his operas have been preserved. He was also Musikdirektor of the Cathedral. Because of its special status - it was not under the supervision of the city council - Mattheson had freedom to perform the music he wanted. He also could choose the interpreters he preferred, among them singers who worked for the Hamburg opera. They had the technical skills to sing the vocal parts in his oratorios which were sometimes quite demanding. Among them were women, who were not allowed to sing in the five main churches in Hamburg.
In recent years several of Mattheson's oratorios have been recorded. One of the latest recordings of such a work is the one to be reviewed here. It is about an episode from Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament, which is also the subject of George Frideric Handel's oratorio Joseph and his brethren. To summarise what it is about: Joseph is sold by his brothers to merchants. He lands in prison in Egypt, but is promoted to viceroy, when he explains two dreams of the pharao about seven years of famine and gives him some advice on how to protect his people from the effects of that famine. Part of it is collecting corn in the years preceding it. When Canaan is also hit by the famine and his brothers come to Egypt to buy corn, they at first don't recognize him, but when he tells who he is, a reconciliation takes place (the entire story is here.
The oratorio is split up into two parts. This was common in Italian oratorios of the time, but in this case it was motivated by its liturgical use: the first part was to be performed before the sermon, the second part after it. The oratorio was intended for performance at the fifth Sunday after Whitsun, the fourth after Trinity. The Gospel of that day was Luke 6, vs 36-42, which is part of the Sermon on the Mount. In this passage Jesus urges his disciples to be compassionate. This explains why the oratorio does not deal with the story of Joseph and his brothers as such. It is rather used as a steppingstone for the message which is proclaimed in the chorale that follows the opening sinfonia: "I shall do unto others as God has done unto me; I shall love my neighbor; and gladly serve all: Devoid of selfishness or duplicity but solely as God has taught me - out of sheer love alone."
The chorale is followed by a recitative in which Joseph explains that his brothers hate him, and a chorus of the brothers. After a recitative Joseph sings a lamento: "O troubled heart, oh sigh, oh cry", accompanied by viola and basso continuo. Here Mattheson writes chromatic figures to depict Joseph's sorrow. Dissonances are used in the ensuing Madrigale: "The envious man's eye shall weep, when the rays of joy caress their neighbour." This highly expressive piece for five voices (SATTB) is an arrangement of a madrigal by the Italian composer Antonio Lotti. It is remarkable how well Mattheson adapted the music to the German text, creating a strong connection between the two. This is followed by a short arietta for soprano: "How great, oh, is that wickedness!" The events that lead to Joseph's promotion, the famine and the first meeting with his brothers are ignored. In a recitative Joseph tells that "I showed compassion to my devious brothers." It is followed by dialogues between Mercilessness (Unbarmherzigkeit), God and the Christian about love of one's neighbour and the need to leave revenge to God.
Mattheson may have been a promoter of melody as the foundation of music rather than counterpoint, it did not withhold him from using the latter in his compositions, as in this work. That comes to the fore in the choruses (the Madrigale ends with a fugue), but even more in the opening of the second part, which is a fugue of four tenors without instrumental accompaniment (Fuga in consequenza a 4 Tenori senta strumenti). It is a prayer: "Oh, father of mercy, let me, too, demonstrate love and compassion to my neighbour so that he may praise you." The fact that Mattheson uses here the form of a canon is no coincidence, as it symbolizes the imitation of Christ. In an accompagnato Joseph explains that he wanted "to be a little cruel just for fun", but "I could not help myself, and love enthralled my spirits all." In the ensuing aria he explains that "the heart (...) swims in tears of love". Again, the Christian, Mercilessness and God discuss the matter. God warns Mercilessness, who defends the right to hate one's enemy, that "[a] merciless judgement awaits everyone, who has not shown compassion." The oratorio ends with a chorus which says that "[it] is through compassion and kindness that the Christian heart aspires to be more alike the good Lord in heaven."
This is a most remarkable work that should convince anyone that Mattheson was a very good composer. This and previous works of this genre make clear that the relative neglect of his oeuvre is not justified. This production is a highly important contribution to our knowledge of his compositional achievements. Before turning to the performance, I have to mention some issues with regard to the booklet, and especially the translation of the names of two of the characters. Unbarmherzigkeit is translated as Hardheartedness in the tracklist and the libretto, but as Mercilessness in the liner-notes - the latter seems to me the better option. This difference is especially odd as the translator of libretto and liner-notes is the same. The other character is Christ: he is mentioned Christ in the translation, suggesting that it is Jesus, but that is certainly not the case. In oratorios and cantatas he is almost always referred to as Jesus. The character here is the Christian, the believer in God, as the last recitative makes crystal clear: "Now then, I am willing, with cordial compassion, to become, while still on this earth, like you, father in heaven." Lastly, the booklet does not indicate which singer is performing which role. We have to guess which of the singers in the baritone and bass ranges sing the roles of God, Mercilessness and the Christian respectively.
A search on the internet suggests that Klemens Mölkner is the interpreter of the role of Joseph. He does a marvelous job as such: he has a very nice voice, with a superb diction, which makes sure that every word is clearly intelligible, even without looking at the libretto. The other singers are hardly less impressive in this department. In each case the content of the recitatives and arias and their respective affects are excellently communicated. The singers receive very fine support from the instrumental ensemble.
From every perspective, this recording is a strong and convincing case for Mattheson as a composer in his own right.
Johan van Veen (© 2024)
Relevant links:
Ensemble Paulinum
Pulchra Musica Baroque Orchestra