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EARLY MUSIC REVIEW
January 27, 2006
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By Rebekah Ahrendt
In the mid-17th century, the German lands were decimated by what we call the Thirty Years' War. Losses were great, and artistic life was greatly disrupted. In our own time of war, Magnificat presented a program centered on the Symphoniae Sacrae II of Heinrich Schütz. The concert was a fitting reminder of how war affects us all, and how transcendence can be achieved through art.
First published in 1647, just before the Peace of Westphalia, Schütz's second collection of “sacred symphonies” embodies a hope for peace, founded on great faith. Their form reflects the time in which they were written. Because his musicians kept getting drafted to the battlefield, Schütz was left with greatly reduced forces. Thus, his major collections of the 1630s and '40s were written for small ensembles of vocal soloists with minimal instrumental accompaniment.
Schütz published the first fruits of his straitened circumstances, the Kleine geistliche Concerte (little spiritual concerts), in 1636. The work opens with a particularly moving piece, "Eile mich Gott zu erreten" (Make haste, O God, to deliver me), which Magnificat chose to open this program. Soprano Jennifer Ellis, accompanied only by Hanneke van Proosdij on the organ and David Tayler on theorbo, gave a moving reading of this emotional piece. Highly influenced by Monteverdi's reserved, high style of recitative, this short work manages to pack in a wide range of emotions. Especially effective is the restrained use of dissonance. In the last line, the final plea of the speaker is accompanied by extreme dissonances, emphasizing the desperate situation and extreme need for deliverance. Ellis' superior expression and beautiful tone in this passage brought tears to the eyes.
Bass Peter Becker demonstrated another variety of Schütz's writing from this period. Many of the Symphoniae Sacrae are moral admonishments; "Hütet euch" (Take heed to yourselves), for instance, warns against immoral behavior. Becker's didactic gestures and glances well underlined the meaning of the text. As is typical for these sacred symphonies, a short sinfonia played by two violins and continuo opened the piece. Instrumental commentary closes each line of the text, and each line has its own particular flavor. Violinists Rob Diggins and Jolianne von Einem played their parts well, highlighting Becker's expression. For this work, among others, artistic director Warren Stewart bolstered the continuo on cello, adding that instrument's strong moralizing voice. Ellis and Becker joined forces for a charming duet, "Iß dein Brot mit Freuden" (Eat your bread with joy). The text encourages joy in living, for life is the gift of God, it says. In a time of such sorrow, reminders like this one were necessary. Monteverdi's influence was even more readily apparent in "Es steh Gott auf" (Let God arise). Introduced by a martial sinfonia, the piece is a duet for two sopranos. Ellis was joined by Catherine Webster, who managed to sing this and two other pieces despite being terribly ill. That her intonation remained perfect and her sound good is a tribute to what a great singer she truly is. After some Schütz-like duetting, the piece surprisingly broke into a sexy ciaccona (chaconne) — a type of dance associated with lascivious behavior in its beginning — and not just any ciaccona, but a reconfiguration of Monteverdi's famous Zefiro torna, originally a work for two tenors. In fact, the duetting at the beginning might not have been so Schütz-like, for it was also an adaptation, of Monteverdi's Armato il cor. Another brilliant adaptation was the reworking of the Monica tune in "Von Gott will ich nicht lassen" (I will not forsake God). Known sometimes with French texts like "Une jeune fillette” or “Une jeune pucelle,” the tune was one of the most popular in the 16th and 17th centuries. In Germany it had been associated with the text "Von Gott will ich nicht lassen" since at least 1572. Other composers such as Schein, Scheidt, Buxtehude, and J.S. Bach also used this tune and text together. Schütz's setting is for two sopranos and bass plus two violins and continuo. Magnificat's trio of excellent singers brought endless variety to this long text. And the tune is indeed an earworm, especially when it is performed by an ensemble like Magnificat.
Instrumental works from two of Schütz's contemporaries rounded out the program. Particularly apt was a sonata by Johann Rosenmüller. who had served as Schütz's agent in Leipzig for distribution of the Symphoniae. His sonata exemplifies the Germanification of the Italian style in the mid-17th century. Violinists von Einem and Diggins played beautifully together, with parts that were equal in almost every way. Individual flourishes abounded, but it was their ensemble playing that made the deepest impression. These are musicians who know one another well and obviously enjoy playing together. Instrumental ensemble fireworks continued in a set of diminutions on Alessandro Striggio's popular madrigal Nasce la pena mia by Johann Schop. Famed for his violin skills, Schop had traveled to Denmark with Schütz in the 1630s, and Diggins must have been channeling him this evening. Diggins' light touch and excellent string contact made every one of the many notes in this diminution come out clearly. His fine showmanship brought out the missing text of the original madrigal, played on the organ by van Proosdij. Tayler provided learned accompaniment on the theorbo, highlighting important moments in the piece. In general, van Proosdij and Tayler constitute one of my all-time favorite continuo teams, for their sensitive and appropriate interpretations of bass lines. Stewart's programming was impeccable as usual for this concert. With his team of musicians who have long been together, Stewart, through the music of Schütz and his friends, showed that even in a time of war, friendship, hope, and art can endure. That is the message I took home from this concert; I hope others did as well.
(Rebekah Ahrendt holds the artist's diploma in viola da gamba and historical performance practice from the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. Currently, she is a graduate student in historical musicology at UC Berkeley.)
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