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History.
The story goes that around 1989 I first heard the Tölz Boys Choir
singing these choral masterpieces in a cassette recording dating
back to the 1960s. I was amazed by the treble voice but could not
quite pinpoint what with. Then in 1997, I chanced on a recording
of the Six Motets by another treble choir, the Kammerchor der Augsburger
Domsingknaben (reviewed here). That
incident led me to start a "world-wide" search to find a Tölz Boy’s
Choir recording of J.S. Bach’s Six Motets
for my private CD collection. Philips Classics - which I had thought
owned the original copyright to that first recording I heard, apparently
knew nothing of that mysterious production. My attempts to contact
the Tölz Boys Choir through letters were not successful for one
reason or another. Nonetheless, my search for a version of the motets
sung by a treble choir led me to discover many other good performances
of these motets and inadvertently spun a series
of reviews for the Inkpot.
I
had almost given up until a friend in Germany then told me that
the Tölz Boys Choir had published a new recording of the motets
by themselves. I set about immediately to search for it and when
I received this CD in my mail, I was so happy that my search had
finally come to a fruitful end. It is with great joy and excitement
that I introduce to you this recording.
Review
This recording with certainty sets the boys apart from the men in
choral singing. Well, literally, and not quite literally. Let me
explain.
Treble
choirs by definition comprise young voices taking the higher parts,
usually the soprano and alto parts. These can be boys or girls.
The usual (traditional) and my preferred treble voice is the boy’s
voice for its many natural wonders - an internal deep, dark, mysterious
chest sound balanced by a bright and clear head tone that borders
on sparkling. This is a result of the unique shape and size of the
boy’s body versus head ratio. This is then combined with an untamed
buccal edge in the boy’s tone which is the result of the boy’s shallow
mouth cavity. The entire tonal qualitiy is very rarified and nothing
short of sheer delight! I have more than once described the special
boy’s treble sound as a certain ‘fearless-precarious’ sonic experience
that quite simply defies explanation. One must experience the Tölz
boy soprano’s solo singing to further understand my undefinable
enchantment with the boy’s voice - words simply fail!
I am swayed to believe that the Tölz sound achieves the most lovely
balance of these aforementioned qualities. The placement of their
soprano and alto resonances heard in this CD demostrates a perfect
understanding of the unique advantages of the boy’s transient instrument.
In my opinion, the subtle balance I hear here is simply lacking
in the average American or British Boy Choir. In fact, few of the
world’s best treble choirs can even come close to the phenomenal
tone of the Tölz. Founder and music director Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden
has conducted the boys since 1956 and surely has much to be proud
about!
There
are many sections in the Six Motets which employ small ensemble
singing and here the individual solo voices can be heard distinctly
in their full glory. Watch out for the characteristics that I have
described above - they are everywhere! In particular, the chosen
alto soloist has such a remarkable resonance and focus that would
put many singers twice his age to shame.
Other
important issues which are frequently taken for granted include
the difficulty in sustaining long lines given the limited lung capacity
of the young voice; the training of the untamed boy’s voice to achieve
blend, enacting choral discipline in a bunch of naughty, hyperactive
pre-pubertal boys etc.. all terribly close to "mission impossible".
This added with the demands which composers such as Bach puts on
the voice, renders any recording of the Six Motets by a lesser boy
choir close to a hopeless project. As if these facts are not daunting
enough, this is a 'live' recording!! The odds are just formidable
- which brings me to my point - that this recording sets apart the
‘men’ and the ‘boys’ in treble singing.
On
‘boys and men’ literally, choral forces are well-balanced throughout
between the boys and men (tenors and basses) and though Schmidt-Gaden
does not employ any audible spatial division into double choir arrangemnent
for the double choral motets, the alternative echoing play of lines
remains vey much alive due to the charismatic attack which the boys
give to their lines. The Tölz men have refined voices and are an
excellent match and basis for balancing the vocal brillance of the
boys.
Occasional
intonation problems are heard with trebles, being the main source
of flatness. However, this is well within acceptable limits for
a 'live' performance of such demanding music by any standards, Nonetheless,one
is more drawn to the wondrous thickness of sound - a grainy-fine
blend that capitualises on the nature of the untamed treble sound.
Schmidt-Gaden
lends an amazing wealth of knowledge to this music with his ‘brow-lifting’
insightful phrasing of complex vocal lines and further in his impeccable
control of tempi to bring out the innate pulse of the motets. There
is no sweet refinement here as was heard in Herreweghe’s impeccable
and close-to-faultless version on Harmonia Mundi (reviewed
here) but then it is the raw energy that I want from these fiery
fearless boys and Schmidt-Gaden achieves a most subtle balance.
This is connosieur choral finesse that is without a doubt among
the best in the world.
Konzert GmbH
Kaminskistraße 13
83671 Benediktbeurern |
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NG
YEUK FAN
welcomes any recordings of treble choirs and soloists.
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588:
20.10.1999 © NG Yeuk Fan
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