|
CHORAL MUSIC REVIEW
March 2, 2007
|
More Sunny Than Sorrowful By Joseph Sargent
Reading through the texts of the California Bach Society's latest program, "Consolation and Comfort," you might have gotten the sensation of accidentally stumbling upon a funeral. Organized thematically around the idea of sympathy in the midst of sorrow, the collection of works by Heinrich Schütz, J.C. Bach, and J.S. Bach emitted a distinctly elegaic sensibility. Yet, thanks to a pleasurable performance Friday at St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco, CBS ensured that its latest concert set was a sunny, rather than somber, occasion.
Under the command of newly installed artistic director Paul Flight, CBS has cultivated a fine overall sound marked by careful attention to phrasing and well-blended sections. While serious inequities between sections inevitably affect the group's overall balance (the sopranos outnumber the tenors by almost three to one), it is to the ensemble's credit that conspicuous instances of sectional imbalance were minimized.
Two of Schütz' most exquisite motets launched the program. Selig sind die Toten (Blessed are the dead) began shakily, with some insecure entrances in the male voices, but steadily gathered conviction to provide an affecting interpretation of this comforting text. A fine sense of dynamic shading and sensitivity to varied homophonic and contrapuntal textures characterized Die mit tränen säen (They that sow with tears).
In the remarkable Musikalische Exequien, a "German Requiem" commissioned for the 1636 funeral of Count Heinrich von Reuss, Schütz faced the vexing problem of unifying von Reuss' handpicked hodgepodge of chorale texts, interspersed with diverse passages from scripture.
His novel solution: Set the chorales for full chorus, and employ soloists and continuo for the interpolated biblical texts. The resulting back-and-forth textures require great flexibility to fully capture each text's character, a task that CBS met with aplomb in the choral passages. The piece's three opening choral sections, calling upon the mercy of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, each deploy similar combinations of declamatory homophony and divided-choir passages. But in CBS' performance the sections were effectively differentiated using shades of emotional affect, from insistent urgency to humble supplication.
Later sections offered more-patent contrasts — the energetic "Durch ihn ist uns vergeben die Sünd" (Through Him is forgiven sin), followed by the somber "Es ist allhier ein Jammerthal" (Here is all around a vale of tears) — both delivered with fine agility and sensitivity to textual expression. The two motets that close the Exequien, "Herr, wenn ich nur dich habe" (Lord, if I have but Thee) and the "Nunc dimittis" from the evening Christian service of Compline (Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in piece), suffered from limited dynamic expression and some muddled phrases, but each contained moments of delightful sonority. Flight's decision to divide the Exequien's many solo passages among 14 ensemble members, while a generous and democratic gesture, unfortunately proved to be a misstep. The revolving door of vocal timbres distracted from the piece's sense of continuity. And while the soloists uniformly possessed pleasant voices, the frequent lack of soloistic presence, clear diction, and projection diminished these sections' dramatic power. The contrast was made even more palpable when Flight himself later stepped into the spotlight as vocal soloist in J.C. Bach's Ach, dass ich Wassers g'nug hätte (Oh, that I had water enough in my head). Accompanied by a sometimes overpowering instrumental consort, Flight projected his rich countertenor with great assurance and gave this deeply mournful musical setting the sense of pathos it demands. CBS' second-half showpiece was J.S. Bach's Cantata 106, Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit (God's time is the best time). Not part of the famous once-a-week cycles from Bach's period spent in Leipzig, this cantata is an earlier work, perhaps written to commemorate the 1707 death of his uncle Tobias Lämmerhirt. The elegant opening sinfonia, featuring nicely matched recorder lines from Annette Bauer and Frances Feldon, led to an ensemble section of serene confidence, contrasting the gently flowing opening text with a richer sound on "In ihm sterben wir zur rechter Zeit" (In him we die at the right time). Throughout the cantata, the solo singing was generally more assured, with soprano Stefanie Moore particularly effective declaiming the plaintive cry "Ja, komm, Herr Jesu!" (Yes, come, Lord Jesus). The ensemble infused the closing section, "Glorie, Lob, Ehr, und Herrlichkeit" (Glory, praise, honor, and majesty) with delicate nobility, performing the closing fugue with effervescent grace.
(Joseph Sargent, a doctoral candidate in musicology at Stanford University, is a professional writer and editor, as well as a performer, conductor, and scholar of early music.)
|
