Gramophone – September 2019

94 GRAMOPHONE SEPTEMBER 2019 gramophone.co.uk

ThePassion
oratorioDerfür
dieSündederWelt
gemarterteund
sterbendeJesusisusuallynicknamedthe
BrockesPassionafteritsPietistauthor,the
HamburgdilettanteBartholdHeinrich
Brockes.ItsfirstsettingbyKeiser(1712)
wasperformedprivatelyinthehomeof
thepoet.Itisincreasinglypopulartoclaim
misleadinglythatHandel’sversionwas
premieredonApril3,1719,attherefectory
ofHamburg’sDomkirche;themusicwas
composedinLondoninabout 1716 and
sentbypost,anditisdifficulttobelieve
therewasnotanearlierperformance.
AugustWenzinger’spioneering
interpretation(1967),apatchyHungarian
accountconductedbyNicholasMcGegan
(1985)andPeterNeumann’sexcellent
Cologneperformance(2009)arenow
joinedbythisliverecordingmadeatthe
GöttingenHandelFestivalin2017.The
openingchorus,sporadicbriefchorales
andafewconciseturbautterancesare
sungwithwarmlyroundedsonorities
andprecisedictionbytheNDRChorus.
LaurenceCummings’sunerringjudgment
oftempos,solemnyetdramaticpacing,
articulation,shapingandtexturesare
matchedwithmarvellousresponsiveness
fromthefestivalorchestra–ledadroitly
byElizabethBlumenstock,andwith
intelligentcontinuo-playingfromcellist
PhoebeCarrai,theorbistDavidTayler
andharpsichordistHannekevanProosdij.
Severalariasaccordingprominenceto
oboesandbassoonsareplayedwith
technicalfinesseandexpressiveness.
TobiasBerndt’sarticulateserenity
isidealforJesus’spronouncements;
hissolemnpleadingwiththeFatherin
Gethsemaneisaccompaniedbytautly
controlledstrings(‘MeinVater’).
JohannetteZomer’sexpressivewisdom
andcrystal-clearcommunicationofthe
DaughterofZion’stextsarecomplemented
byprofoundartistryofdiscernmentabout
whenandhowtoembellishsubtly
(forexample,‘Brich,meinHerz,zerfliess
inTränen’and‘DieihrGottesGnad’
versäumet’–justtwoofthemanynumbers
thatHandeltransformedforhisfirst
EnglishoratoriosEstherandDeborah).
Peter’svehementseizinghisswordat
Judas’sbetrayalandJesus’sarrest(‘Gift
undglut’)iscapturedthrillingbyRupert
Charlesworth,whoalsoconveys
heartbrokenpenitenceafterPeterhas
thricedeniedknowingJesus(‘Schau,
ichfall’instrengerBusse’).Judas’sguilt-

rackedsuicideisdepictedwithsensitivity

albeitslightlyunevenintonationby

DavidErler.TheEvangelist’ssimple

recitativesarenarratedeloquentlyby

SebastianKohlhepp.Thelivewarts-and-

allrecordingdoesnotflatterAnaMaria

Labin’srelativelypinchedsingingasthe

principalBelievingSoul,althoughher

steeliertimbreisasuitablecounterfoil

toZomer.Mostsoloistsreappearas

verbosefaithfulsoulswhosenumerous

contemplationsstiflethelibretto’s

cumbersomepacinginPart 2 – although

everyoneofHandel’sindividualshort

numbersisagem,routinelyperformed

herewithbittersweetfluency.DavidVickers

Comparativeversions:

ScholaCantorumBasiliensis,Wenzinger

(4/68R)(ARCH)D 463 644-2GOR3

CapellaSavaria,McGegan

(12/86R)(HUNG)DHCD12734/6

CollegiumCartusianum,PNeumann

(5/10)(CARU)CARUS83 428

JohannesdeLymburgia

‘GaudefelixPadua’

AgnusDei.Christeredemptoromnium.

Descendiinortummeum.GaudefelixPadua.

Kyrieeleison.KyrieQuidestirperegia.Magne

diesleticie.Magniicat.Recordarefraterpie.

Recordare,virgomater.Salvevirgoregia.

Sanctusadmirabilissplendor.Totapulcraes.

Virginisproles

LeMiroirdeMusique/ BaptisteRomain

RicercarFRIC402(66’• DDD• T/t)

Johannesde

Lymburgiawas

activeintheVeneto

around1430,though

presumablybornintheLowCountries.

Hismusicisknownalmostexclusively

fromasinglemanuscriptnowinBologna

(thefamousQ15),whichcontainsno

fewerthan 46 workscreditedtohim,

makinghimthesecondmostrepresented

composerinthemanuscript(thefirst

beingthegreatDufay).Despitethat,heis

almosttotallyignored.AsfarasIcansee

onlyaboutthreeofhisworksareavailable

onrecord.SothisCDdevotedentirely

tohismusicismorethantobewelcomed:

itisamajorbreakthroughinthe

availabilityofearly15th-century

musicinthecatalogue.

HismusicisallindevotionalLatin

andpresumablyallliturgical,anditmust

besaidthatithardlymakesforthemost

enthrallinglistening:hewasbynomeans

Dufay.ButBaptisteRomainandLeMiroir

deMusiquemakethebestpossiblecaseof

themusic,withflawlessperformances

throughout,mostparticularlyintroducing

anewnametothecatalogueofmedieval

music,thatofthesopranoJessicaJans,

whocarriesmuchofthemainmelodic

materialwithmagicalclarityand

expressivesinging.

Ontheotherhand,onecouldhave

questionsabouttheensemblechoices

here.Evenifweacceptthehistorically

unlikelymixingofmaleandfemalevoices

inliturgicalpolyphony,wemayhavea

hardertimeacceptingviellestakingpart

insuchmusicmuchbefore1470,asalready

pointedoutbyPeterHolmanmorethan

30 yearsago.Thatmaynotmatter,except

thattheconstantinstrumentalparticipation

canresultinsomewhatbreathlesstempos.

But,asIsaid,weshouldbemassively

gratefulthatthisCDexistsatall.

DavidFallows

JosquinDesprez

‘Adieumesamours’

Busnois/JosquinFortunadesperataDall’Aquila

RicercarJosquinDesprezAdieumesamours.

AveMaria.LaBernardina.Douleurmebat.

IlefantaziesdeJoskin.Milleregretz(attrib).

Nimphesnapées.Nymphesdesbois.Laplus

desplus.Quantdevousseul.Regretzsansin

NarváezLacancióndelemperadorJosquin/

GerleEnl’ombred’ungbuissonnet

DulcesExuviae

RicercarFRIC403(63’• DDD• T/t)

Singing self-

accompanied on the

lute was considered

a mark of the true

Renaissance gentleman, but the two

functions could be shared out between

two performers. By its nature, polyphony

privileges the interaction between voices;

but nonetheless much Renaissance music

(especially secular) relies on a principal

melody. That is plainly the case with Mille

regretz, one of the standout hits of the

time; no doubt a fair proportion of the

pieces on this recital would have been

performed this way. Romain Bockler’s

brooding voice sustains the entire

recital. His willingness to ornament so

consistently is to be applauded, though

it’s not always as spontaneous as one

might wish. Bor Zuljan is a sympathetic

accompanist, seldom needing to draw

attention to himself. Renaissance

aficionados will note his use in some tracks

of a ‘bray lute’, which has been fitted in

such a way that the strings are further

excited after they have been plucked,

making the buzzing sound usually

associated with bray harps.

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