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EARLY MUSIC REVIEW Honoring Josquin September 27, 2002
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By Nikki Buechler
The Stanford Early Music Singers' performance last
Friday was intended as a celebration
of the publication of masses by Josquin Des Prez.
Though the group produces a consistently beautiful
sound overall, it was a mixed performance. There was a
noticeable difference between the first half of the
concert and the second. The singers were more
comfortable with the music once they got past the
intermission, evidenced by an improvement in their
engagement with the music and overall confidence.
Since the concert marked the 500-year anniversary of
this book of masses, selected movements from four
masses formed the first half, and the complete Missa
L'homme armé super voces musicales, the second.
Director William Mahrt introduced each movement in the
first half and while his comments were informative
and authoritative, the intermittent lectures
interrupted the flow of the concert and possibly
affected the group's engagement with the music. Given
the amount of background information he was providing,
gaps in the music were sometimes quite long. It would
take a couple of measures before the singing became
consistent and reliable after every break.
Quicker passages, as in the fragment from
Missa Fortuna Desperata, were often cloudy, though this is
partly owing to the acoustics of the church. More
careful enunciation would have helped overcome the
problem, however, and this is true overall. Another
factor contributing to the occasional lack of clarity
was an imbalance in voice representation — there were
too many men. Being bottom-heavy impeded the forward
motion of a few lighter moments.
Missa La sol fa re mi demonstrated the choir's ability to negotiate timing transitions flawlessly, though the movement lacked overall shape. Once the group was properly warmed up, some stunningly beautiful and sensitive moments, particularly during parts of the sanctus from Missa Gaudeamus, sounded as if the angels themselves were singing. That said, the first half of the concert did seem a little bit under-rehearsed. Certain pianissimo passages suggested that they may have been quiet simply because the singers were tentative and insecure. The second half of the program, Josquin's Missa L'homme armé super voces musicales, was introduced initially by Mahrt and then sung straight through. This part of the program was consistently improved over the first, and the absence of breaks helped the singers' concentration. Each movement takes the cantus firmus and moves it up a step, so that the melody is modally altered with each statement. This makes for some surprising and sublime shifts in harmonic direction; and one in particular, in the third Agnus, was emphasized by the group so that dramatic effect was heightened. Though the cantus firmus was audible while in the tenors, it was not quite as clear when it migrated to the sopranos or altos — another problem of having under-represented upper voice parts. The sensitivity of the singers and their rich, full texture was such that the entire L'homme armé mass was simply a prolonged sensory experience of the most beautiful kind. Though dynamics were not exploited as fully as they might have been and a shape for each movement could have been more overtly articulated, rich harmonies were perfectly balanced and intonation was secure. The richness of texture, the quality of sound, and the interweaving of the parts were without flaw, and the singers seemed to enjoy themselves.
This concert was free but, even so, the large turnout was surprising. EMS seems to have a large, loyal following and it is easy to see why. Under the stained glass of the cavernous church, the music is haunting and deeply moving, and the group is capable of a very high level of performing. Nevertheless, the number of people who came late was surprising and disappointing, especially as several continued their disruption even after taking their seats. It may take a high ticket price to make people aware of the need to show respect and consideration for the performers and other audience members. Given the strength of the second half, when an atmosphere conducive to meditative enjoyment of the music was finally achieved, the quality of performance was at its finest. It is worth considering that these things could have been related.
(Nikki Buechler is a PhD student at the music department at Stanford University. She has a Master's degree from St Catherine's College, Oxford, and spent 5 years working as a viola player in chamber groups, orchestras and as an occasional soloist in London, England.)
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