musica Dei donum
Concert reviews
"On the way to Christmas"
Stile Antico
concert: Dec 17, 2024, Utrecht, Cathedral [Domkerk]
[in order of performance]
plainchant:
Conditor alme siderum;
John TAVERNER (c1490-1545):
Audivi vocem de caelo;
Heinrich SCHÜTZ (1585-1672):
O lieber Herre Gott (SWV 381);
William BYRD (c1540-1623):
Laetentur coeli;
Sebastián DE VIVANCO (c1551-1622):
Ave Maria;
anon:
There is no rose of such virtue;
Johannes ECCARD (1553-1611):
Übers Gebirg Maria geht;
Tomás Luis DE VICTORIA (1548-1611):
O magnum mysterium;
Matheo FLECHA (1481-1553):
El Jubilate;
Michael PRAETORIUS (1571-1621):
Ein Kind geboren in Bethlehem;
Jacobus CLEMENS NON PAPA (c1510-1555/56):
Pastores quidnam vidistis;
Claudio MONTEVERDI (1567-1643):
[Rutilante in nocte];
Richard DERING (c1580-1630):
Quem vidistis pastores;
Luca MARENZIO (1553/54-1599):
Tribus miraculis;
Francisco GUERRERO (1528-1599)
A un niño llorando;
John SHEPPARD (c1515-1558):
Reges Tharsis;
Orlandus LASSUS (1530/32-1594):
Resonet in laudibus
Helen Ashby, Kate Ashby, Rebecca Hickey, soprano;
Emma Ashby, Cara Curran, Rosie Parker, contralto;
Andrew Griffiths, Jonathan Hanley, Benedict Hymas, tenor;
James Arthur, Nathan Harrison, Gareth Thomas, bass
The Organisatie Oude Muziek, which is responsible for the annual Festival Early Music Utrecht, also runs the Early Music Season: a series of concerts taking place at several places across the Netherlands from October to June. Part of the season is a Christmas concert in the week before Christmas. Such a concert is less directed at an audience with a specific interest in early music, but rather to a broader public of people who are open to 'classical' music, but can also appreciate far later repertoire and even some 'popular' stuff. That was reflected by the programme of last year's concert, given by the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge. This year the renowned ensemble Stile Antico was invited, and although they don't entirely avoid modern compositions, they very much focus on the polyphony of the Renaissance, on which their reputation is based. That was also the nature of the programme they performed at the Cathedral in Utrecht. However, they did not entirely avoid 'popular' music, as we shall see.
In their programme, Stile Antico covered a period of about 250 years, from the 15th to the early 17th century. The music came from various parts of Europe. It was not performed chronologically or in groups of pieces from a particular part of Europe, but rather thematically, according to the various stages in the Christmas story. The programme was divided into five chapters.
The first was called "A voice from heaven", which referred to the expectation of the coming of Christ - the subject of Advent. It opened with plainchant, Conditor alme siderum: "Kind maker of the heavenly bodies, eternal light for those who believe in you, Christ, redeemer of everyone, hear the prayers of those who beseech you". This was sung by some of the male voices of the ensemble, alternating solo and tutti. It was followed by John Taverner's setting of the responsory for All Saints' Day, Audivi vocem de caelo, whose text refers to Jesus' parable of the wise and foolish virgins; this responsory can also be sung during Advent. This music is part of the ensemble's core business, and that showed in the excellent way it was performed from the pulpit in the Cathedral. Then we made a big leap towards the 1640s: in 1648 Heinrich Schütz published his Geistliche Chor-Music, from which O lieber Herre Gott was taken. The text is from Martin Luther, and based on the Advent collect Excite Domine. The text says: "O dear Lord God, awaken us that we may be ready, when your son comes". I at first had problems recognizing this piece which I have heard many times. Although Schütz's collection of motets from 1648 is based on traditional counterpoint, it has to be performed in a more declamatory way than was the case here. The lack of a basso continuo did not help. The chapter closed with a piece by William Byrd, Laetentur coeli, a setting of the closing verses of Psalm 96, which liturgically is the Offertory for the midnight mass of Christmas: "Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad: let the sea make a noise, and all that therein is." This is the kind of music the singers have grown up with, which resulted in a completely convincing performance.
The second chapter was devoted to Mary, being informed about her pregnancy. The first piece was a motet by Sebastian de Vivanco, Ave Maria. The title can refer to different settings. The opening section is always the same: "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord The Lord is with you". It can be followed by a section in which Mary is asked to pray for the faithful. That is also the case in Vivanco's motet, and as this is hardly relevant in a programme of Christmas music, a different setting may have been more appropriate. It was followed by the oldest piece in the programme, the carol There is no rose of such virtue, dating from the 15th century. This is scored for two voices, and that makes it a piece of vocal chamber music, to be sung in intimate surroundings. Singing it with more than one voice per part, as was the case here, does not do it real justice. The final piece in this chapter was again from Germany: Johannes Eccard's song Übers Gebirg Maria geht is a kind of Christmas evergreen in Germany, almost as popular as Michael Praetorius's Es ist ein Ros entsprungen. It was performed pretty well: it was published in 1585 in the stile antico, which suits the ensemble which has taken its name from that style.
The third chapter was called "The joy of the angels". It opened with one of the best-known pieces by Tomás Luis de Victoria, O magnum mysterium. Spanish music of the Renaissance has a character of its own, and is more passionate than - say - the music of someone like Palestrina. That did not entirely come off here; the singing was excellent, but a bit too straightforward. For non-Spanish singers this kind of repertoire is not easy to perform, and that was crystal clear in the next piece, El Jubilate, an ensalada by Matheo Flecha. This is a typical Spanish genre, which was very popular in the 16th century. It was a mixture of different elements, which explains its name, meaning in English 'salad'. The ensalada rooted in the popular culture, and was mostly related to Advent and Christmas. El Jubilate is a jubilation about the birth of Jesus. This is specifically related to the fate of the snake, the devil who in Paradise seduced Adam and Eve to disobey God. It ends with the lines: "Through the Blessed Virgin all of you dance the grigonça. And she herself will crush your head" (a quotation from Genesis, ch 3, where the fate of the devil is revealed). Such a piece requires a theatrical performance, and the members of the ensemble - here performing with one voice per part - did their very best, but if one has a performance by a Spanish ensemble in one's mind, it did not really satisfy. Next another big step: this time from a rather satyrical Spanish piece to the seriousness of Michael Praetorius, although the song Ein Kind geboren in Bethlehem can be reckoned among the more 'popular' pieces in his oeuvre. It is a four-part setting, but in several stanzas the performance focused on the lower voices, which are less recognizable, as the upper voice - as was common at the time - carries the melody. This was a nice idea, as this way the lower parts, which are mostly overshadowed by the upper voice, were clearly exposed.
The fourth chapter was devoted to the shepherds. With the motet Pastores quidnam vidistis by Jacobus Clemens non Papa, the singers of Stile Antico were on familiar territory. The dialogue in this piece was nicely realised. With Rutilante in nocte we moved to the early 17th century. This is a contrafact: Aquilino Coppini replaced the original text of the madrigal Io mi son giovinetta by Claudio Monteverdi by a sacred text, more appropriate for people of the church who wanted to enjoy Monteverdi's music. It is taken from the last book of madrigals which is strictly in the stile antico and omits a basso continuo part. Even so, I felt that a more declamatory approach is required here. The same goes for Quem vidistis pastores by Richard Dering, who was influenced by the new fashion in Italian music.
The last chapter included pieces connected to the visit of the wise men from the East. Tribus miraculis is the Magnificat antiphon at Second Vespers of the Feast of the Epiphany. It was performed here in a setting by Luca Marenzio. I liked its inclusion, as he is almost exclusively known for his madrigals, and his sacred oeuvre is largely neglected. That is not justified, as this beautiful motet shows. It was followed by A un niño llorando by Francisco Guerrero, taken from a collection of Canciones y villanescas espirituales, which are comparable with Italian spiritual madrigals. This undoubtedly is chamber music, and again it has that typical Spanish flavour which seems hard to realise for non-Spanish singers. It was nicely sung, but I did not find it really idiomatic. With Reges Tharsis Stile Antico was back home, so to speak; this is a typical English piece by John Sheppard, where the ensemble could be heard in full glory. The concert ended with a joyous piece by Orlandus Lassus, Resonet in laudibus: "Let praises resound with joyous acclaim: To Sion's faithful the child born of Mary has appeared." The joy came off to full extent, and it was a most appropriate conclusion of this Christmas concert.
As the reader has noticed, I have been critical about several aspects of this concert. That should not be misunderstood: I really enjoyed it, and Stile Antico is a very fine ensemble, one of the best of its kind. However, even the best ensembles have their limitations, and there is nothing wrong with pointing them out. Even so, the long applause from the audience after the concert was well deserved.
Johan van Veen (© 2024)