Gramophone – September 2019

gramophone.co.uk GRAMOPHONE SEPTEMBER 2019 91

howevenanunstoriedmemberofthe

familycouldmovewiththetimes:English

readerswithchoralbackgroundsmaycome

awaywithSSWesley’sBlessedbetheGod

andFather,from1853,echoinggentlyin

themind’sear.PeterQuantrill

Beethoven

ChristusamÖlberge,Op 85 a.

ElegischerGesang,Op 118

aHanna-LeenaHaapamäkisopaJussiMyllysten

aNiklasSpångbergbassChorusCathedralis

Aboensis;TurkuPhilharmonicOrchestra/

LeifSegerstam

NaxosB8 573852(64’• DDD• T/t)

LeifSegerstamhas

becomenotoriousin

recentyearsforgiving

performancesof

standardrepertoirethatrivalCelibidache

intheirpseudo-mysticalslownessifnot

theirrefinement.Soitcomesasasurprise,

andapleasantone,tofindhimdirecting

Beethovenwiththespirit,theenergyand

thefinesensibilitythatdistinguishedhis

SibeliusseriesonOndineandbrings

convincinglytolifeBeethoven’sunfulfilled

ambitionforChristontheMountofOlivesas

anewkindofsacredopera.

VerymuchagainstBeethoven’swishes,

thepublisherremovedstagedirections

fromthescore,whichwaspublisheda

coupleofyearsafteritshastycomposition

overbarelymorethanamonthearlyin

1803.Yettheideathat,attheconclusionof

hisfirstaria,Christwouldfalltohisknees

ismostvividlyconveyedbothbyJussi

MyllysandSegerstam’spointedattention

tothefalteringaccompaniment.

Inthedemandingtitle-role,Myllys

sufferslittlebycomparisonwithPlácido

Domingo(withKentNagano),whotook

ontheroleattheoppositeendofhis

career.Hisbaritonalreachbringsgrit

andauthoritytothoserecitativepages

oflesscompellinginventionwhileasense

ofslightstrainintheariasfitsthepartas

wellasFlorestan–andSegerstamdoesn’t

missatrickwhenitcomestoBeethoven’s

defiantlypersonalfusionofpolitics,

religionandmusic,underliningeven

morethanNaganohowandwherethe

oratorioanticipateskeymomentsinthe

Eroica,fromlaterthesameyear,andthen

FidelioandEgmont.

WhereSegerstamdoesexpandto

tellingeffectisthecentralduetforChrist

andtheSeraph,sungbyHanna-Leena

Haapamäkiwithappealinglyyouthful

andpuretoneandassuredcoloratura.

Theorchestralandchoralcontributions

arelesspolished–thetenorsinparticular

havearoughtimeofit–butSegerstam

keepsupthedramatictensioneventhrough

somerockypassagesintheobligatory

concludingfugalchorus.TheElegischer

Gesangsuffersfromsimilarsignsofhaste

orinattention:playedandsungwithall

theinnerfeelingofalate-quartetslow

movement,butalsowithtoomanyspots

ofunreliableintonationandensembleto

makeforanentirelyconsolingexperience.

PeterQuantrill

Selectedcomparison:

Nagano(1/04R)(HARM)HMG50 1802

Finzi.Bednall

BednallNuncdimittisFinziAllthisnight,Op33.

ThreeAnthems,Op27.Lo,thefull,inalsacriice,

Op26.Magniicat,Op36.SevenPoemsof

RobertBridges,Op17.White-loweringdays,

Op 37

TheChoirofTrinityCollegeCambridge;

TrinityBrass/ StephenLaytonwith

AlexanderHamilton,AsherOliverorg

HyperionFCDA68222(74’• DDD• T/t)

What a beautifully

crafted disc this is –

not just in its quality

(and it really is

VOCAL REVIEWS

Ebullient izz: the orchestra and choir of Gaechinger Cantorey, directed by Hans-Christoph Rademann, bring lair and compassion to Bach cantatas

PHOTOGRAPHY:

HOLGER SCHNEIDER