musica Dei donum
Concert reviews
Holland Festival Early Music Utrecht 2007
Part One Part Two Part Three
Part One
Concerts:
"Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt"
Trinity Baroque/Julian Podger
25 August, Cathedral [Domkerk]
"Meine Freundin, du bist schön"
Netherlands Bach Society/Jos van Veldhoven
26 August, Cathedral [Domkerk]
"Lamentations from Germany and Austria"
Christine Esser (soprano), Orpheon Consort/José Vázquez
26 August, Pieterskerk
"Jacob van Eyck: Konstelyk en lieffelyk gefigureert"
Peter van Heyghen (recorder), Kris Verhelst (harpsichord)
26 August, Auditorium University [Academiegebouw]
"Der Gooden Fluyt-hemel"
The Royal Wind Music/Paul Leenhouts
26 August, Jacobikerk
"German songs from the late 18th century"
Carolyn Sampson (soprano), Kristian Bezuidenhout (fortepiano)
26 August, Ottone
The opening concert was meant as a kind of preparation to what is the
main theme of this year's festival: Dietrich Buxtehude. Apart from two
organ pieces by Buxtehude himself, vocal works by Heinrich Schütz and
Johann Sebastian Bach, his main predecessor and successor respectively
as composers of religious music in Germany, were programmed. In between
some chorales were sung and a sacred song by Georg Böhm, one of Bach's
teachers.
The British ensemble Trinity Baroque had put together this programme
quite nicely, with a number of motets from Schütz' Geistliche Chormusik embracing Bach's motet Jesu, meine Freude.
The performances weren't that bad, considering the fact German is not
their native tongue and British performers have always some kind of
trouble with German music. But unfortunately they weren't very good
either. It has to be said that I wasn't sitting very suitably: the
first row, very close to the ensemble, is not the best spot to hear the
ensemble as a whole. As a result I heard a number of single voices,
which revealed some shortcomings, like a not always good pronunciation
of the German language and a lack of blending, for instance because of
the vibrato of some of the singers. In Bach's motet Jesu, meine Freude
there were some strange decisions regarding dynamics and tempo and the
pronunciation problems were all too obvious. The ensemble has recorded
Bach's motets for Raumklang - why a German label is recording these
works with a British ensemble is beyond me.
Julian Podger sang Schütz's sacred concerto O süßer, o freundlicher
not too badly, but there was a lack in articulation and dynamic
accentuation of single words, and the ornamentation was rather
inconsistent. The only non-British member of the ensemble, the German
soprano Christine Maria Rembeck, sang Böhm's sacred song Trostesvolle Gnaden
so much better in every respect. It's just a shame she obviously isn't
able - or not in the position - to learn her colleagues how to sing
German music appropriately.
In comparison the concert on Saturday night by the Netherlands
Bach Society was a whole lot better, although there were some loose
ends. The programme centred around the Song of Songs. It started with
Schütz' motet Stehe auf, meine Freundin and ended with Johann Sebastian Bach's wedding cantata Der Herr denket an uns (BWV 196). Like the motet by Schütz Georg Böhm's cantata Mein Freund ist mein
is written for two four-part ensembles of voices and instruments. But
here four solo voices have a stanza to sing, alternated by a returning
ritornello. The central text: "Mein Freund ist mein, und ich bin sein"
(My friend is mine and I am his) returns time and again in all stanzas
as well as in the opening and closing choruses. It showed the great
qualities of Georg Böhm, whose sacred cantatas are not very well-known.
The soloists gave good performances as well as the ensemble as a whole,
although alto Marc Chambers was a kind of weak spot - litterally, as
his voice is rather weak. That was especially problematic in Johann
Christoph Bach's wedding cantata Meine Freundin, du bist schön.
The two main singers here were the soprano Johannette Zomer and the
bass Harry van der Kamp, who replaced Bas Ramselaar, who was announced.
Ms Zomer gave a convincing performance, although I still have some
problems with her singing, as sometimes the old vibrato habits creep in
and in the highest register she tends to sing too loud. That is also a
habit of tenor Marcel Beekman, who had to sing a couple of duets with
poor Marc Chambers, who was no match. Harry van der Kamp was his
brilliant self, singing and acting with great conviction and authority.
I'm not sure the effects on "werdet trunken" (get drunk) were what the
composer had in mind, in particular as it is very questionable whether
the Biblical term "drunk"- if used in a positive sense - means the same
as when we use it. But that doesn't take anything away from the quality
of this performance.
Buxtehude couldn't be absent, and although his cantata Drei schöne Dinge sind
is based on Jesus Sirach, one of the Apocrypha, thematically it well
fit into the programme. It is written for soprano and bass and got a
fine performance from Johannette Zomer and Harry van der Kamp, although
here the balance between the two singers was less than ideal, Ms Zomer
tending to dominate. The concert ended with Bach's cantata, which is
rather short, but was a nice conclusion of a fine concert.
A late night concert by the Orpheon Consort, directed by José Vázquez, also contained one piece by Buxtehude: the Klaglied 'Muß der Tod denn auch entbinden',
a lamento on the death of his father. Although only three stanzas were
performed the deeply moving character of this work came out very well,
also thanks to the performance by the soprano Christine Esser and the
members of the ensemble. The programme was devoted to lamentos from
Austria and Germany, in which often viole da gambas were used. Other
examples were An Wasserflüssen Babylon by Franz Tunder and Aus der Tieffe rufe ich
by Christoph Bernhard. Although she could have used less vibrato Ms
Esser's interpretations were very moving. Two arias by Johann Josef Fux
and Attilio Ariosti respectively were of a different nature: both
secular, both on an Italian text, and both with very virtuosic and
extended obbligato parts for viole da gamba. These were actually more
interesting than the vocal parts, although that may be due to the
performance: it seems Christine Esser felt less at home here than in
the German pieces. José Vázquez and his colleagues were able to show
their great skills and their fine historical instruments to great
effect here. As a nice contrast two suites from Banchetto Musicale by Johann Hermann Schein and one suite from Samuel Scheidt's Ludi musici
were performed, music influenced by the English consort music which was
introduced in Germany by William Brade. Why Timothy Roberts had to
switch from organ to harpsichord in the middle of two of these suites
wasn't quite clear. The organ seemed to me more satisfying as
foundation of the ensemble than the harpsichord.
The first weekend was also devoted to Jacob van Eyck
(c1590-1657), the famous Dutch recorder player and composer of the 17th
century. To pay attention to his art in this festival was very
appropriate, as he lived and worked mainly in Utrecht. I attended two
concerts which were part of this theme. First Peter van Heyghen and
Kris Verhelst played music by Van Eyck and English virginalists. In his
many variations Van Eyck was strongly influenced by the style of the
English virginalists, and they often made use of the same material, in
particular songs which were generally popular in the 17th century,
often in the whole of Europe. Peter Van Heyghen played pieces by Van
Eyck on recorder and did so quite well, although a little more
imagination hadn't been amiss. Kris Verhelst gave fine performances of
compositions by Sweelinck, Gibbons, Farnaby and Philips. It was an
interesting programme, ending with the only piece in which both
instruments played together, the Aria XIII sopra Questa bella sirena, a song Van Eyck also used for variations.
Quite unusual was another concert around Van Eyck. He often used
material from polyphonic pieces of his time or the late 16th century. A
number of these pieces were performed by The Royal Wind Music, an
ensemble of 12 recorders from sopranino to sub-contrabass. Works by
Adriaensen, Brade, Dowland and Mainerio and some anonymous pieces were
played, as well as pieces originally written for keyboard (Sweelinck, Est-ce Mars) or voices (Sweelinck, Pseaume 134).
But there were also pieces which Van Eyck didn't use or which were
written well after his death. The last part of the concert was devoted
to a sequence of settings of 'Vater unser im Himmelreich', from
Valentin Schumann (c1520-after 1559) to Johann Sebastian Bach. The
ensemble produced a gorgeous sound, and anyone who thought that if more
than one recorder is played the result must be out of tune was proven
wrong. There was an intriguing remark in the information about the
ensemble: the subcontrabassrecorder is a recent model, drafted after
renaissance principles. Does this mean such an instrument never existed
in the 16th and early 17th century?
A wholly different kind of music was performed by the soprano
Carolyn Sampson and Kristian Bezuidenhout on fortepiano. They performed
German songs for voice and keyboard from the late 18th century. In
particular interesting were the hardly-known composers with which the
programme started: August Bernhard Valentin Herbing (1735-1766),
Friedrich Gottlob Fleischer (1722-1806) and Christian Michael Wolff
(1707-1789), who all in their very own way looked for an expression of
the text, using varied forms and giving more prominence to the
keyboard. In a way it was a shame only few songs of these composers
were performed. Also on the programme three songs by Mozart which are
well-known of course, and the programme ended with an Italian song by
Schubert - not often performed, but hardly fitting into a programme of
late-18th century songs. In between Kristian Bezuidenhout played a
sonata by Georg Benda, a composer who deserves more attention as this
sonata proved. On the whole I was a little disappointed by the
performances. Kristian Bezuidenhout is a brilliant fortepiano player,
but the choice of a (copy of a) Graf for the whole programme was a
little unfortunate. Although it was a relatively early specimen, as it
had no pedals, it seemed to me the full dynamic potential couldn't be
used in Benda, for instance. Carolyn Sampson is much praised these days
for her performances of early music, but I'm afraid I'm not very
impressed. Her sometimes wide vibrato, in particular when she has to
sing dramatic stuff and forte, is rather annoying and ugly. Her German
pronunciation wasn't perfect either. It was mainly a concert with
interesting ideas, but the way these were realised wasn't always really
convincing.
Part Two
Concerts:
"Buxtehude, Weckmann, Theile, Becker"
Caecilia-Concert
27 August, Cathedral [Domkerk]
"Harpsichordists around Buxtehude"
Jan Katzschke (harpsichord)
27 August, Lutherse Kerk
"Tunder and Buxtehude in Lübeck"
Ensemble Clematis
28 August, Cathedral [Domkerk]
"Buxtehude and the stylus phantasticus"
Harmonie Universelle
28 August, Geertekerk
"Buxtehude: Music for ecclesiastical high feasts"
La Capella Ducale, Musica Fiata/Roland Wilson
28 August, Cathedral [Domkerk]
Buxtehude: Membra Jesu nostri
Miriam Meyer, Bettina Pahn, Bogna Bartosz, Marco van de Klundert, Klaus Mertens
The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra/Ton Koopman
29 August, Jacobikerk
"North-German composers around Buxtehude"
Kölner Akademie/Michael A. Willens
29 August, Augustinuskerk
"The Lübeck tablature of Dietrich Buxtehude"
La Suave Melodia/Pieter Dirksen
30 August, St Willibrordkerk
Buxtehude: Chamber music
Les Basses Réunis/Bruno Cocset
On Monday two other concerts were devoted to the world of
Buxtehude. The first was concentrating on ensemble music, played on a
rather unusual combination of instruments. The Caecilia-Concert
consists of four instrumentalists: Fiona Rusell (cornett), Adam Woolf
(trombone), Wouter Verschuren (dulcian) and Kathryn Cok (keyboard), and
can be extended if needed. In the concert in the festival just a violin
was added, played by Jonathan Guyonnet. Although Buxtehude has written
his sonatas for violins and viole da gamba only, according to the
ensemble composers didn't mind replacing one instrument by the other:
the viola da gamba could be replaced by the trombone and the violin by
the cornett, or the other way round. As a result we heard a sonata by
Buxtehude, scored for violin, viola da gamba and bc with violin and
trombone, and in sonatas by his contemporaries Theile, Weckmann and
Becker the four instruments or some of them could be heard in several
combinations. The Caecilia-Concert gave colourful and energetic
performances, and the unusual combinations of instruments worked quite
well. One can only admire the virtuosity of the players of instruments
which are not generally considered suitable to play virtuosic and
sometimes very fast passages, like here in a sonata by Buxtehude where
the two melody parts were played on trombone and dulcian. The huge
reverberation of the Cathedral caused some problems, in particular for
those in the audience who were sitting at some distance from the
platform.
For a long time Buxtehude was mainly known as composer of
organ music. At some time his chamber music and his cantatas were
rediscovered, but his works for harpsichord have never made it into the
standard repertoire of keyboard players, even though some complete
recordings have been available as long ago as about 30 years. Jan
Katzschke devoted his recital to keyboard music around Buxtehude. Two
of his own compositions for the harpsichord were played, the Toccata in G (BuxWV 165) and the Fugue in C (BuxWV 174).
The latter is one of his better-known works, but mostly played on the
organ. As it has no pedal part a performance on harpsichord is much
more appropriate. About half of the programme was devoted to the
keyboard works of Matthias Weckmann, who from 1655 until his death was
organist at the St Jacobi in Hamburg, where he had one of the world's
largest organs at his disposal. There is no proof that Weckmann and
Buxtehude knew each other, but it is quite likely, and it is even
possible that Weckmann was Buxtehude's teacher. Weckmann was well
acquainted with musical developments around Europe, and like Buxtehude
later in his Abendmusiken in Lübeck he performed that kind of
music with his Collegium Musicum in Hamburg. Several influences can
also be traced in his keyboard music, some specimen of which Katzschke
performed. In addition suites by Froberger - who was a personal friend
of Weckmann - and the rather unknown Christian Ritter were played.
Katzschke gave fine performances, technically assured and with great
sensitivity towards the contrasts in the music, reflecting the
North-German stylus phantasticus.
That stylus phantasticus is also a feature of the
ensemble music written in the northern part of Germany. Not only
Buxtehude and Weckmann, but also Johann Adam Reincken was a
representative of that style, as the Partitas for two violins and bc,
published in 1688 under the title Hortus Musicus, show. The
first Partita is by far the best-known, especially because Bach
arranged some of its movements for harpsichord. This Partita was played
by the Ensemble Clematis, and its harpsichordist, Leonarda
Garcia-Alarcòn, performed Bach's arrangement. This was indicative of
the programme, which consisted almost exclusively of pieces which are
well-known, among them also Franz Tunder's sacred concertos An Wasserflüssen Babylon and Ach Herr, laß deine lieben Engelein, and Johann Christoph Bach's lamento Ach, daß ich Wassers g'nug hätte.
One could argue this is almost inevitable when the historical context
of Buxtehude's life and work is payed attention to, but I think
ensembles should try to stay away from the obvious, in particular if an
ensemble is relatively new and inexperienced. The standard, set by
famous artists, is high, and Ensemble Clematis failed to emulate that
standard by far. The first item on the programme, Buxtehude's Sonata in G, op. 1,2 (BuxWV 253),
immediately showed its shortcomings: no contrasts, hardly any dynamic
accents, little differentiation between good and bad notes and a
generally colourless and unrhetoric style of playing. The sacred
concertos were not very good either, partly because the Spanish soprano
María Hinojosa Montenegro pronunciated the German texts pretty badly,
but also because there was too little text expression, inconsistent and
not always correct ornamentation and sometimes too much vibrato. A
disappointing concert.
In the late night concert that same day the ensemble Harmonie
Universelle showed how this repertoire has to be played. Daniel Deuter
and Mónica Waisman (violin), Josh Cheetham (viola da gamba), Mónica
Pustilnik (theorbo) and Philippe Grisvard (harpsichord and organ)
started with the same Partita I
as the Ensemble Clematis, but it seemed a completely different work.
Here the true character of this piece was shown, thanks to the
colourful playing of the strings, the strong dynamic accents, the
excellent phrasing and articulation. The basic principle of the
historical performance practice of music from the baroque era, music as
speech ('Musik als Klangrede'), was a living reality here. If this is
ignored this repertoire can become boring. Buxtehude's Sonata in d minor (BuxWV 257)
contains many repeated notes, and without a differentiated
interpretation like that of Harmonie Universelle this is just
uninteresting and tiresome. Also on the programme some of the Partien
for two violins and bc from Musicalische Ergötzung by Johann Pachelbel, which were also given fine interpretations. The last item was Pachelbel's Partie V,
ending with an exciting ciacona. Just one critical remark has to be
made. In recent years it seems to be fasionable, firstly to use a
theorbo in the basso continuo almost in every single work, and secondly
to use it as a kind of percussion instrument. Harmonie Universelle has
fallen to that habit too. I don't like it nor do I see the reasons for
it.
Some concerts become fixed in one's memory and one can
remember them long after. Such a concert took place in the Cathedral,
when La Capella Ducale and Musica Fiata performed some of Buxtehude's
most colourful and brilliant cantatas, some of them in a pretty large
scoring up until 24 vocal and instrumental voices. The opening work,
the 24-part motet Benedicam Dominum,
set the tone: brilliantly played and sung, but - more importantly -
also overwhelming and moving. Especially impressive in this work the
playing of the wind: cornetts, trumpets, trombones and dulcians.
Interesting was the use throughout the concert of a dulcimer, which -
according to Roland Wilson - was in vogue at the time. The programme
had been well put together, showing the variety in musical forms
Buxtehude has made use of. Some cantatas had the structure of a
dialogue, in which mainly three soloists could be heard: the soprano
Monica Mauch (who sang the chorales in Wo soll ich fliehen hin immaculately), the tenor Markus Brutscher and the bass Wolf Mathias Friedrich. The latter two gave a brilliant performance of Herr, ich lasse dich nicht, a dialogue between Jacob and God. In Mein Gemüt erfreuet sich
musical instruments mentioned in the text are illustrated by the
instruments, like dulcians, cornetts and recorders. A special effect
was created by the stopped trumpets and trombones in the last cantata
on the programme, Ihr lieben Christen, freut euch nun. The
playing and singing of these ensembles was of the highest level. This
kind of music is in their blood as this concert amply demonstrated.
Simply everything was right: the natural speech-like articulation, the
rhythmic flexibility, the dynamic contrasts, the blending of the
voices, the strong delivery of the text. This concert definitely was
the highlight of the festival so far.
A festival which is partly devoted to Buxtehude, can't be without his most famous vocal work, the Membra Jesu nostri. According to Ton Koopman, artist in residence of this year's festival, this work is in Buxtehude's oeuvre what the St Matthew Passion
is in Bach's. It was he who performed this cantata cycle, with members
of his Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and five vocal soloists. There was
no choir in this performance, in contrast to his first recording on
Erato (with the Knabenchor Hannover). It will be interesting to see
whether he is going to record it with one voice per part in his ongoing
Buxtehude Edition. It seems to me the character of this work points
into the direction of a performance with just five singers, but the
disadvantage is that five singers don't necessarily make an ensemble.
And that was definitely a problem in this performance. There was a lack
of balance between the voices, with the soprano Miriam Meyer and the
tenor Marco van de Klundert dominating the overall sound of the
ensemble. The voices didn't blend very well either. On the whole it was
a disappointing performance. Apart from the technical shortcomings I
had liked a more intimate, more meditative approach. In order to fill
the night two sonatas were added. As a result there was an interval in
the middle of the cantata cycle, between cantatas 4 an 5, which was
rather unlucky in my view. The sonatas were played well, but by far not
as colourful and expressive as by Harmonie Universelle.
The blending of the voices was also a kind of a problem in the
concert of the Kölner Akademie, which was devoted to sacred music by
North-German composers around Buxtehude. The title was a little too
ambitious, as only two compositions by colleagues were performed: Confitebor tibi, Domine, one of Johann Rosenmüller's settings of Psalm 110, and the Easter cantata Hemmet eure Thränenfluht
by Nicolaus Bruhns. The programme started and ended with cantatas by
Buxtehude. I wasn't very much impressed by either of the soloists - I
liked the contralto and tenor most. Together the four singers didn't
blend very well, although it improved during the concert. There was
also an improvement in the interpretation. The first item, Buxtehude's
cantata Nichts soll uns scheiden von der Liebe Gottes, was a
little bland. The word 'nichts' (nothing) which is repeated many times
during the cantata, should have been more emphasised, as this is
belongs to the centre of the cantatas content: "nothing shall separate
us from the love of God". Bruhns's cantata is a very impressive piece,
in which the instruments illustrate the text. For instance, string
chords, followed by a pause, depict the heaviness of the stone, used
here as metaphor for the heaviness of man's sins. The instrumental
parts were realised very well: the players gave splendid performances
throughout. The last piece on the programme, Buxtehude's cantata Der Herr ist mit mir is also a very fine work, ending with an extended jubilation on the word 'alleluia'.
It is almost inevitable that some works of a composer to whom a
substantial part of the festival is devoted, are performed more than
once. In particular some of his sonatas were played in several
concerts. The ensemble La Suave Melodia, for instance, played
Buxtehude's Sonata in C (BuxWV 266)
for two violins and bc, which members of The Amsterdam Baroque
Orchestra had played two days before as well. It has to be said that
the lesser-known violinists of this ensemble, Rachael Beesley and
Sophie Gent, gave a much more colourful and more dynamic performance
than their more renowned colleagues. And their level of playing was
indicative of the standard of the performances in that concert
throughout. Pieter Dirksen had selected compositions from a tablature
(known as A 373), which contains 20 vocal works and was probably put
together under the composer's supervision. In particular cantatas
scored for two sopranos and bass were selected, which were sung by Sara
Jaeggi and Keren Motseri (soprano) and Frans Fiselier (bass). In
particular the two sopranos have very fine voices, which are different
in character, but nevertheless blend very well. All three singers
excelled in delevering the text, which was clearly audible, even
without textsheet, and in exploring the way Buxtehude has expressed the
text in his music. For me this concert was another highlight in the
festival, and I sincerely hope the ensemble is going to record this
proogramme on CD.
In Buxtehude's chamber music the viola da gamba plays an
important role. Apart from composing a sonata for viola da gamba and
bc, he treated the instrument on equal terms with the violin(s) in
ensemble sonatas. Bruno Cocset had programmed two sonatas for violin,
viola da gamba and bc by Buxtehude, as well as the sonata for viola da
gamba and bc, which he played on the cello piccolo. The writer of the
programme notes states that the cello piccolo seems to be a typical
German phenomenon, and that it is quite possible that it was used in
this kind of music, when no viola da gamba was available, I wonder how
often that may have happened, as the viola da gamba was one of the most
important string instruments in Buxtehude's time in Germany. It seems
to me rather a contrived argument to defend the replacement of the
viola da gamba by the cello piccolo. Although Bruno Cocset played very
well, the musical result didn't convince me either: in particular in
the first item on the programme, the Sonata in g minor (BuxWV 261),
the viola da gamba was no match for the violin, in contrast to the
viola da gamba with its more penetrating sound. It was a little better
in the Sonata in a minor (BWV 254) which closed the programme.
In the solo pieces the replacement of the viola da gamba by the cello
piccolo was less of a problem, not only in the sonata by Buxtehude, but
also the Sonata in a minor by Johann Schenck. Violinist
Riccardo Minasi gave a good performance - although techically not
perfect - of a sonata by Johann Heinrich Schmelzer and harpsichordist
Maude Gratton of a partita by Weckmann.
Part Three
Concerts:
"Dein edles Herz, der Liebe Thron"
Capella Angelica, Lautten Compagney/Wolfgang Katschner
1 August, Geertekerk
"Musicians at the Danish court"
Clarino
31 August, Cathedral [Domkerk]
"Bellum & Pax"
Capilla Flamenca/Dirk Snellings; Psallentes/Hendrik Vanden Abeele
28 August, Nicolaïkerk
"Poyphony for François I"
Huelgas Ensemble/Paul Van Nevel
27 August, Jacobikerk
Ortiz: Ad vesperas in omnibus festivitatibus beatae Mariae
Cantar Lontano/Marco Mencoboni
30 August, Cathedral [Domkerk]
"Musicians at the Danish court"
Clarino
31 August, Cathedral [Domkerk]
"The virtuoso Graupner"
Les Idées heureuses/Geneviève Soly
31 August, Pieterskerk
"Canons and duets of the 18th century"
Musica ad Rhenum/Jed Wentz
31 August, Geertekerk
Telemann: 12 Fantasias
Jed Wentz (transverse flute)
30 August, Pieterskerk (chapel)
JS Bach: Suites for cello solo 4 - 6
Sigiswald Kuijken (viola da spalla)
27 August, Doopsgezinde Kerk
Ristori: I lamenti d'Orfeo
Lavinia Bertotti, Elena Cecchi Fedi (soprano)
Les Muffatti/Peter Van Heyghen
27 August, Nicolaïkerk
"A Mozart Academy"
Carolyn Sampson (soprano), Kristian Bezuidenhout (fortepiano)
Freiburger Barockorchester/Petra Müllejans
31 August, Central Studios
"An Overture, a Concerto and a Symphony by Mr Van Beethoven"
Kristian Bezuidenhout (fortepiano)
Orchestra of the 18th Century/Frans Brüggen
300 August, City Theatre [Stadsschouwburg]
"Symphonies for the drawing room"
Van Swieten Society/Bart van Oort
29 August, Ottone
"Figaro! Figaro!"
Nachtmusique/Eric Hoeprich
31 August, Ottone
Muffat, Corelli, Lully
Holland Baroque Society/Matthew Halls
1 September, Jacobikerk
"The virtuoso Graupner"
Ingrid Schmithüsen (soprano), Normand Richard (bass)
Les Idées Heureuses/Geneviève Soly
31 August, Pieterskerk
Vivaldi: La Senna festeggiante
Kerstin Avemo (soprano), Barbara Kozelj (contralto), Antonio Abete (bass)
B'Rock/Eduardo López Banzo
1 August, City Theatre [Stadsschouwburg]
During the last days of the festival I attended two more
concerts which were part of the Buxtehude theme. The ensemble Clarino
devoted its concert to musicians at the Danish court: John Dowland,
Heinrich Schütz and Matthias Weckmann. These were all active during the
reign of Christian IV (1577-1648), under whose rule Denmark experienced
a kind of 'golden era' in the arts. Matthias Weckmann is assumed to
have influenced Buxtehude. So programming his music as part of a
Buxtehude celebration makes sense, but performing music by Dowland,
just because he worked at the Danish court, is rather stretched, as
Buxtehude very likely never heard his music. And who in the world has
come up with the idea to put this concert in the Cathedral? William
Carter played some of Dowland's compositions on the lute, but I wonder
how much people further away than, say, the 10th row, will have heard.
This concert should have taken place in the Geertekerk, for instance,
which has far better acoustics for intimate music like this. It has to
be said, though, that the concert was a big disappointment. The sonatas
by Weckmann weren't played that well: there were technical
shortcomings, but it was also boring and bland. Sonatas by Weckmann had
also been played on Monday by the Caecilia-Concert, and they were much
better. Even the songs by Dowland, sung by Philippa Hyde, were rather
uninteresting and flat. The last piece in the programme, Meine Seele erhebt den Herren (SWV 344) by Schütz, was almost unrecognizable, due to the slow speed and illogical phrasing and articulation.
On Saturday the concert by the Capella Angelica and the Lautten
Compagney, directed by Wolfgang Katschner, took place in the
Geertekerk. This was another example of bad scheduling: the acoustics
are too dry for the cantatas by Buxtehude these ensembles performed.
This should have taken place in the Jacobikerk, for instance. Maybe
there this concert had left a better impression than it actually did.
The instrumentalists played well, with good dynamic shadings, although
sometimes a little bland. But the main weakness was the vocal ensemble.
It consisted of 10 singers: 4 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors and 2 basses.
It produced a nice sound, and phrasing and articulation were just what
you would expect in German music. But there was a lack of dynamic
contrasts and of text expression. Most singers also had to sing short
solo parts, and these were mostly rather bland and uninteresting. This
seems to me the problem of this ensemble: the singers don't have enough
qualities as soloists to carry a performance. As a result the concert
as a whole was pretty indistinctive and a bit dull.
One of the themes of the festival was the 'art of listening'.
Its objective was to look critically at the way modern audiences are
used to listen to music. In two concerts specific use was made of the
venue where they took place. The Capilla Flamenca asked the audience to
move around during a performance of liturgical music, centred around
the famous song 'L'homme armé', which was frequently used as cantus
firmus of polyphonic masses in the renaissance. According to Dirk
Snellings, the director of the ensemble, people attending service
during the renaissance used to move around during the mass. In a large
church it matters from which spot one listens to the music. This
concept may look interesting, there is every reason to question whether
it makes sense, in particular because of the way it was put into
practice. If the audience is expected to move around, then why are the
ensembles doing the same? Is that also how it was done in the
renaissance? And it seems to be a little inconsistent to "reconstruct",
as it were, the listening habits of that time, without reconstructing
the religious context in which it was heard. If the people were moving
around during mass in the renaissance and today's audience is asked to
do the same, then why isn't the liturgical music performed during a
mass? Many people were listening to the music while sitting comfortably
- or less so - at one spot. Many hundreds of people moving around in a
church isn't possible anyway. The music by Josquin, Obrecht, De la Rue
and Willaert was performed very well by the Capilla Flamenca, whereas
Psallentes sung the plainchant. The performances were much more
convincing than the concept of this 'art of listening'.
Another ensemble which was using the specific features of the
church was Cantar Lontano, directed by Marco Mencoboni. The music they
presented was rather unusual: Diego Ortiz (c1510-c1570) is one of the
main composers of instrumental music of the Spanish renaissance. He is
mainly known for his treatise Tratado del glosas,
about the art of diminutions. His own compositions in that genre belong
to the standard repertoire of gambists. So to hear a programme of music
for the Vespers is rather surprising. But very good this music is, and
it was very well performed by the ensemble. Like the Capilla Flamenca
the singers of the plainchant were moving around the church, but here
the audience was sitting. The balconies of the Cathedral were used to
great effect, and Mencoboni needed some assistent conductors to pass on
his directions to the singers and players who couldn't see him. This
concept was convincingly realised and the performance made a great
impression. The programme has been recorded on CD, but that can never
deliver the specific characteristics of this performance.
Music from the same time was performed by the Huelgas
Ensemble, directed by Paul Van Nevel. This time it was French music,
both sacred and secular, connected to the court of François I
(1494-1547), a member of the Valois dynasty. He wanted his court to
compete with the courts of Rome and Florence. He also paid attention to
the development of the musical climate at and around the court. The
number of singers and musicians at court increased, Pierre Attaignant
was given the privilege to print music and musicians were organised in
ensembles of a specific character and function. The Huelgas Ensemble
sang motets, mass sections and chansons by some well-known composers
like Jean Mouton and Claudin de Sermisy, but hardly-known masters were
also represented: Pierre de la Farge and Pierre de Villiers will have
been new names for most members of the audience. And even De Sermisy is
mainly known for his chansons, whereas his sacred music is seldom
performed, like the Missa Quare fremuerunt gentes, from which the Agnus
Dei was sung. The number of singers varied from four (one voice per
part) to 13 (the whole ensemble). The intonation and the blending of
the voices were immaculate as usual. A feature of Van Nevel's
interpretations is also his use of dynamics, which is rather unusual in
this kind of repertoire. The objective of this concert was to give an
idea of music life at the court of François I. As a result secular and
sacred music was performed in the same venue. One could argue that the
chansons are better suited to a more intimate space. Even so there was
enough differentiation between both kinds of repertoire. Another
question mark regards the use of instruments: could it be that
sometimes music at François' court was performed with instruments, like
viols, playing colla parte or even replacing one or more voices?
The festival also contained a series with the title 'A solo':
performances of music for a solo instrument, taking place at midnight.
I was suprised that the two concerts I attended had a full house,
although the venues were very different. There must have been about 200
hundred people or more in the Doopsgezinde Kerk (the Mennonite Church)
for the concert by the Belgian violinist Sigiswald Kuijken on the viola da spalla.
Although Kuijken has already given concerts on this instrument for some
years now, and has used it in recordings of cantatas by Bach, the
public at large isn't quite acquainted yet with this relatively unknown
instrument. Kuijken was quite ambitious by programming no less than
three of Bach's suites for cello solo (Nos 4 to 6). At first it
threatened to become a deception, as Kuijken had serious trouble with
his intonation and seemed to be rather out of sorts. But after a while
he settled in and started to play with real conviction. The New Grove
describes the viola da spalla as "an 18th-century name given to
a bowed string instrument, possibly a cello or a smaller variant of it,
played at shoulder height with the instrument held across the player's
chest by a strap over the shoulder". The sound is more or less
comparable to that of a viola, but then a little darker. I'm not sure
whether this was the instrument Bach had in mind for these suites. But
it was a fascinating experience, and especially the last suite was very
well played by Sigiswald Kuijken. Hopefully he will find the
opportunity to record them, so that everyone can hear and judge for
himself. The concert ended at late as 1.30 a.m., but it certainly was
worth it.
Another concert in this series took place in the much smaller
chapel of the Pieterskerk: Jed Wentz played all twelve fantasias for
transverse flute by Telemann. These fantasias are very popular among
flute and recorder players, but it won't happen very often that they
are all played at once during a concert. It is quite a challenge to
play them all, requiring a high level of energy and concentration. But
Jed Wentz impressively met the challenge and gave splendid
performances. These fantasias consists of short movements, contrasting
in tempo and character. These contrasts were worked out very well, and
Wentz demonstrated an excellent understanding of the rhetorical figures
Telemann makes use of. 12 Fantasias in a row seems a bit tedious, but
in fact we got 12 short, engrossing stories, and Wentz proved to be a
great storyteller.
Later that day Wentz returned to the platform with his
ensemble Musica ad Rhenum. On the programme were canons and duets from
the late 17th and the 18th century. The programme started and ended
with sonatas by Locatelli, both canonical: the two upper voices follow
each other closely, and treble and bass parts are written in strict
canon. In between the 12e Concert from François Couperin's 'Les
Goûts-Réünis', which is a duet between two bass instruments - played
here on the viola da gamba and the cello - with contains much imitation
between the two parts. Bernardo Pasquini wrote a collection of 'basso
continuo sonatas' for two keyboards. Only the figured bass is given,
which the players are supposed to realise, in addition to a melody
part. And there was Telemann again, with two duets for two transverse
flutes - no less engaging than the fantasias Jed Wentz played before.
All members of the ensemble gave fine performances: Jed Wentz and
Marion Moonen (transverse flutes), Cassandra Luckhardt (viola da
gamba), Job ter Haar (cello), Michael Borgstede and Marijn Slappendel
(harpsichord). It was a good example of creative programming.
The same could be said of the concert by Les Idées Heureuses,
directed by Geneviève Soly, a Canadian harpsichordist who is fascinated
by the music of Christoph Graupner. The whole programme was devoted to
music by this German master, who is not fully ignored: in particular
some of his orchestral suites are sometimes played. But he is
definitely a composer who is still in the shadow of the masters of the
German baroque, Bach and Telemann. In his time he had a great
reputation, and the concert showed why. Whereas much music of the
baroque era is regular in the sense that you often know what to expect,
Graupner often goes into a whole new direction. Time and again he is
surprising the audience by doing unexpected things, which makes his
music very interesting to listen to. It is a composer one has to get
used to, and fortunately Geneviève Soly and her colleagues were able to
display his qualities. They played an Overture in E
(in fact movements from two different overtures in that key) and a trio
sonata which is perhaps not authentic, even if it is catalogued as a
work by Graupner. The main work was the cantata Wo willst du hin, betrübte Seele,
written for soprano, bass, strings and bc. Here again Graupner suprises
the listener by the way he treats the conventional cantata form. The
cantata begins with an aria for soprano - representing the soul - ,
which is repeated twice in the first half. Ingrid Schmithüsen gave a
very expressive and moving interpretation, and was able to treat the
same aria differently every time. The bass Normand Richard - singing
the part of Jesus - was also fine in his recitatives and his only aria.
The cantata ends with a lovely duet, where both voices blended well.
Composers like Graupner, Fasch, Stölzel and Hertel could do with some
special attention, which could put them out of the shadow of their
contemporaries Bach and Telemann.
Far less creative was the programme of the Holland Baroque
Society, a group of musicians who met in other orchestras in the
Netherlands and links series of concerts with educational projects.
During this festival it played twice: in Handel's oratorio Jephtha,
which was performed on the first Sunday of the festival (which I have
not attended), and in an orchestral programme in the Jacobikerk,
directed by the British keyboard player Matthew Halls. Despite the
unsuitable acoustics it was successful in showing its qualities, even
though the programme consisted mainly of well-known pieces: Corelli's Concerto grosso in C, op. 6,10 and two suites by Georg Muffat. Less well-known is Lully's opera Psyché,
from which an instrumental suite was played. The idea behind the
programme was clear, though: Muffat as the composer who aimed at mixing
the French and the Italian style. The orchestra played very well and,
although existing just two years, has already developed into a very
good ensemble, from which we will hear more for sure in the future.
Last year a staged production of Cavalli's opera L'Ipermestra
was one of the main events of the festival. This year almost no
theatrical music was performed. But two serenatas were programmed, one
by Vivaldi and the other by Ristori. La Senna festeggiante was
written by Antonio Vivaldi in 1725 to commemorate the restoration of
the diplomatic ties between the republic of Venice and France. The
characters are allegorical figures, who usually represent the
personalities for which the serenata was written. In this case it was
mainly king Louis XV who was honoured by the names of the allegorical
characters La Virtù (virtue), L'Età dell'Oro (the golden era) and La
Senna (the Seine). Serenatas were usually not staged, but that didn't
hold back the Belgian baroque orchestra B'Rock from asking two
directors to make a staged production. The objective was to turn the
piece into a kind of horror movie. If that wasn't bad enough, the
result was completely unintelligible and utterly tasteless. When
afterwards one of the directors entered the platform to receive the
applause of the audience he was practically booed off the stage, and
rightly so. The production was an insult to the audience, and - what is
worse - to Vivaldi. It almost overshadowed the generally good
performances from the singers, Kerstin Avemo, Barbara Kozelj and
Antonio Abete. The orchestra also played very well under the direction
of Eduardo López Banzo. But singers and conductor should naver have
gone along with this kind of garbage. Talking about the 'art of
listening', sometimes it is better if you don't see anything, and just
listen.
Much better was the performance of the serenata I lamenti d'Orfeo
by the Italian composer Giovanni Alberto Ristori (1692-1753), who
worked at the court in Dresden and became the assistent of Johann Adolf
Hasse. This serenata was written in 1749 in honour of Maria Antonia
Walpurgis (1724-1780), who in 1747 married Friedrich Christian, who was
to become Elector of Saxony. She was a talented musician and composer
and her qualities are praised in this serenata, scored for two sopranos
(representing Orpheus and his mother Calliope) and orchestra. It was
given a concertante performance by the orchestra Les Muffatti, directed
by Peter Van Heyghen, which explored the quite colourful orchestration
by Ristory very well. Lavinia Bertotti and Elena Cecchi Fedi also gave
good accounts of their parts, in their arias as well as the dialogues.
Here again we have a composer who deserves more attention than he has
been given so far.
'The art of listening' was also the source of inspiration for
a concert by the Orchestra of the 18th Century, conducted by Frans
Brüggen. No programme was given, the programme sheet mentioned just 'an
overture, a concerto and a symphony by Mr. Van Beethoven'. So it was up
to the audience to discover what exactly was played. Most of them will
have recognized the music: the Overture Coriolan, the Piano Concerto No 3 and the Symphony No 5.
The acoustics of the City Theatre are pretty dry, but it turned out to
be an advantage rather than a disadvantage, as all sorts of details
were clearly audible which tend to get lost in a venue with more
spacious acoustics. The performances were first-rate from start to
finish. The overture received a brilliant sharp-edged performance and
in the piano concerto Kristian Bezuidenhout was a most imaginative and
creative soloist, although the cadenza in the first movement was far
too long. And when a conductor is able to make an overworked symphony
like the fifth sound like it was written yesterday, then that is quite
an achievement. Frans Brüggen's health seems to be poor, but his spirit
is lively as ever. It was one of the most memorable concerts of this
festival.
Not very favourable were the acoustical circumstances for the
special concert for the Friends of the festival by the Freiburger
Barockorchester. The programme consisted of works by Mozart: the
symphony No 40, the keyboard concerto in A (KV 488), three concert
arias (sung by Carolyn Sampson) and the Fantasia for keyboard in c
minor (KV 475). The latter piece was played by Kristian Bezuidenhout,
who also was the soloist in Mozart's concerto. This was given an
enthralling performance, but the acoustics didn't make it very pleasant
to listen to. The concert was also part of the theme 'the art of
listening', as it wanted to give some idea of how music in Mozart's
time was presented to the audience. It started with just the first
movement of the symphony, then two concert arias were sung, followed by
the concerto. After the interval the remaining three movements of the
symphony were played, followed by the keyboard fantasia and the concert
closed with another concert aria. It is certainly an interesting
experiment, but in my view not something we should try to copy. I also
wonder whether the concept was worked out consistently: would the
movements two to four of the symphony really be played at a stretch or
would it be interspersed by a vocal or keyboard item again? And what
about the piano concerto: was it played in Mozart's time without being
alternated by other music?
In the late 18th and early 19th century the only way for many
people to listen to the best music of their time was through
arrangements and transcriptions. A huge number of this kind of pieces
were made and published. Two concerts were devoted to that repertoire.
Bart van Oort and his ensemble Van Swieten Society played the overture
of Mozart's opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Haydn's Symphony No 101
in arrangements for keyboard, transverse flute and strings and in
between Beethoven's own transcription for pianoforte, violin and cello
of his Symphony No 2. The ensemble Nachtmusique played arrangements for wind instruments of overtures and arias from Mozart's opera Le Nozze di Figaro and Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia and Mozart's Quintet KV 407
in an arrangement for wind sextet by Johann André. Composers were not
always happy with the arrangements, and it encouraged Beethoven to
arrange his works himself, as his Symphony No 2. But some
arrangements were very good, and Johann André's, for instance, were
among them. These were two interesting concerts with a kind of
repertoire that meets scepticism in our time, but these concerts showed
that - if played well, and that was certainly the case here - these
arrangements have qualities of their own. They are good additions to
the repertoire of string and wind ensembles.
The concert with which the festival ended was devoted to
Buxtehude again: sacred works were performed by the Amsterdam Baroque
Orchestra & Choir with soloists, directed by Ton Koopman. The
concert ended with a cantata by Bach. I have heard this concert on the
radio, so I'm not in the position to give a definitive judgement, but
my overall impression was that the performances of Buxtehude's works
was mostly disappointing: some soloists - and some members of the choir
- used too much vibrato and the blending of the voices wasn't great
either. I don't think these performances were any better than that of Membra Jesu nostri by Koopman earlier in the festival.
Time to sum up. Let me first say that I am grateful for the choice of
Buxtehude as 'composer in residence'. Most of his sacred works are
hardly known, and this festival showed that there is no reason at all
to neglect them. On the contrary: Buxtehude's sacred music is very
important and of a remarkable and consistent quality. Hopefully the
year of the commemoration of his death will change the treatment of
these works and they will become part of the standard repertoire of
vocal/instrumental ensembles.
On the whole I am satisfied by the quality of the concerts I have
heard. Most of them were of a good level, with some ups and downs. The
ups are the concerts by La Capella Ducale & Musica Fiata, by La
Suave Melodia and the Huelgas Ensemble. The downs are the performances
by the Ensemble Clematis and Clarino. And I sincerely hope we will
never see such garbage as Vivaldi's La Senna festeggiante again.
This year the festival was confronted with the specific problem that
the Muziekcentrum wasn't available because of a major rebuilding which
will take a number of years. It isn't easy to deal with the
consequences, and it has to be said the direction has met this
challenge admirably. But the relationship between music and space has
been a problem for many years now. Too often concerts take place in
venues which are simply not suitable to the kind of music played. And
that not only spoils the enjoyment by the audience, but also undermines
the performances and the way the music is appreciated. This is an issue
which has to be dealt with.
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Johan van Veen (© 2007)