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 In
Bach's obituary, mentioned is made of his "many oratorios, masses
(and) Magnificats". However, today
only two of the last-mentioned survive - and are, in fact, almost
the same work, the major difference being that the first is in E-flat,
and the second and more widely performed, in the more customary
key of D.
The
work takes it name from the first word of Mary's hymn of praise
when she visited her cousin to report of her own visit from an angel,
"Magnificat anima mea Dominum" ('My soul glorifies the Lord'), as
recorded in the gospel of Luke. Because of its significance and
widespread use in both Catholic and Lutheran worship services, this
text was widely set to music.
Bach's
only surviving setting comprises twelve sections; the early version
of this setting includes an additional four "insertion movements"
designed to be, and thusly performed here, interspersed in between
them. All the sections are short - all but one in performance last
shorter than three minutes apiece. This version of the Magnificat
was first performed at Christmas 1723.
Dispensing
with an opening Sinfonia, the chorus immediately enters with
the eponymous lines of the Magnificat, sounding weighty and
robust, although not quite as inspirational. The dusky-hued soprano
timbre of Ruth Sandoff has a mezzo voca quality to it, shaping
the legato lines of the Et exsultavit with polished ease.
Sibylla Rubens, as silvery-toned as ever, spoils her rendition of
the Quia respexit with harshly-crunched consonants - which
is a pity because she gets top marks in all other departments.
In
this multi-part setting, Bach eschews any overt gender identification
by also giving the arias to the bass and tenor. Klaus Häger
gets his turn first in the Quia fecit mihi magna, singing
with a personable voice and is nicely supported by the cello, double
bass and organ accompaniment, even if the instruments have a tendency
to lapse into a Teutonic heavyhandedness at times.
Marcus
Ullman receives his tenor solo much later on, singing the Deposuit
potentes with earnest melodrama and perhaps undue urgency -
a performing path paved more with good intentions than achievement,
it could be said. Nonetheless, full marks here for effort and he
does get more exposure in the second disc, too.
Alto
Ingeborg Danz also gets her spotlight following Ullman with Esurientes
implevit bonis. With interesting accompaniment (two flauto
dolce i.e. recorder, one cello and organ), she makes a strong
showing for herself.
There
is an instance of overly-sensitive miking picking up on the breathing
noises in Et misericordia - an alto-tenor duet. Although
both soloists sculpt the contours of the music expertly, the problem
here lies less with their technique than the engineering of the
captured sound. The acoustic tends towards reverberance, with balance
in favour of the basses.
The
other duet, Virga Jesse floruit for soprano-tenor, is less
impressive. Suscepit Israel, which immediately follows, is
for the three female soloists: their voices blend beautifully and
they certainly produce an impressive sound, but some spots of over-rehearsal
can be detected. If the music were any longer than the two minutes
clocked here, the banality of delivery could have very well anaesthesized
the mind.
The
Gächinger Kantorei, as usual, outdo themselves. In the first
insertion movement, they even have a turn at a capella vocalization.
Except for the slight occasional lapse - in the opening of the second
insertion movement Freut euch und jubiliert, there is an
audible collective intake of breath followed by a somewhat untidy
entry - they wield Bach's four-part music as devoted and well-drilled
exponents qua ars.
In
the crossover from the solo Quia respexit to the choral entry
of Omnes generationes, they sound very dramatic indeed, almost
requiem-like with ample blood-and-thunder. By comparison, the closing
choruses are more sedate. There is some good ensemble intercalation
in the closing Gloria Patri et filio, but with the instruments
locked in combat with the chorus for volume in the fortissimos,
it sounds a shade overdone. The descant fanfare on brass at the
end of Fecit potentiam could have had more velvet and less
iron.
 The
second disc in this set is a collection of miscellany of fragmentary
movements from the early forms of the Mass in B Minor. For argument's
sake, I suppose they do count as "Sacred Vocal Works" but except
for those who wish to really explore Bach's choral music
in such detail, it's hard to see who else might want these. Ah,
but for the sake of completeness for the Bachakademie...
The
choral singing is as ripe as ever: the Symbolum Nicenum strikes
a less-profound note with just two standalone movements. Each of
the soloists' contribution, except for two arias and two duets,
is minimal - but I should hasten to add, well-sung. The instrumental
accompaniment is equally lively.
Christiane
Oelze, whom some may remember from Sir John Elliot Gardiner's Leonore
in the role of Marzelline, makes only one contribution - the duet
Et in unum Dominum of the Symbolum, but she makes
the most of her two minutes (shared with Ingeborg Danz, at that)
and together they are absolutely delightful, with each voice singing
in ravishing harmony with the other.
The
composite Siehe, also wird gesegnet from BWV34a alternates
between tenor aria and alto recitative. The embryonic nature of
this particular work is rather apparent, but both Christoph Preégarden
and Anke Vondung express their feelings rather tellingly and make
the best vocal contribution amongst all the items offered.
In
her two recitatives, Sibylla Rubens again has a tendency to snarl
on her consonants with exagerrated diction, which is not
a good thing. On the other hand, Andreas Schmidt makes his only
performance in this series in Ich lasse dich nicht, with
a tenor-like bass, expressively warm - all the more emphasized by
the unusual combination of oboe d'amore, bassoon, double bass and
organ - and sets the stage perfectly for the chorus to come on and
finish off the collection.
An
interesting release, then, even if the content is totally under
par for a double CD: at seventy-seven minutes, it could have been
put on one disc (upon which it would have become an obscenely generous
offering). The performances are certainly good - but good enough
to justify paying double ?
The
bottom line here: unless you really want the Magnificat in E
flat and fragments of the Mass and other cantata movements,
and don't mind paying double for what should be a single disc (or
at least getting two for the price of one), this is an album
elepantus.
BENJAMIN
CHEE thinks that Latin puns are a good way of saying unpleasant
things with good humour.
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796: 5.11.2000 © Benjamin
Chee
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