Document

  1988
    September 1988
        Choral and Song
                Schutz Sacred Choral Works.

Schutz Sacred Choral Works. Clement Janequin Ensemble (Agnes Mellon, sop; Dominique Visse, alto; Bruno Boterf, ten; Philippe Cantor, bar; Antoine Sicot, bass); Konrad Junghanel (lte); Jonathan Cable (va da gamba); Willem Jansen (org); Les Saqueboutiers de Toulouse

Harmonia Mundi (Full price) (LP) HMC1255; (Cassette) HMC40 1255; (CD) HMC90 1255 (63 minutes: DDD). Texts included.

Magnificat, SWV468. Erbarm dich mein, o Herre Gott, SWV447. Quemadmodum desiderat cervus, SWV336. Symphoniae sacrae—Anima mea liquefacta est, SWV263; Adjuro vos, filiae Hierusalem, SWV450. Die sieben Worten Jesu Christi am Kreuz, SWV478. Meine Seele erhebt den Herren, SWV344. Die mit Tranen saen, SWV42.

This is, frankly, a duller record than it ought to have been. Goodness knows that Schutz is not to blame: all the pieces included here are fine ones, and the more precious for being rarities on record. Nor can one cavil at the contribution of Les Saqueboutiers de Toulouse, who play marvellously. The trouble is that Schutz's music simply doesn't fire the imagination of the Clement Janequin Ensemble, whose singing is largely routine and tentative. It helps little that the balance is often not in their favour; but then, it was risky combining an ensemble of only five solo voices with a full complement of cornetts and sackbuts.

The choice of forces is symptomatic of a more fundamental problem, particularly evident in the opening Magnificat, SWV468. The singers treat it as a concerted madrigal rather than a liturgical setting, and perform in too delicate and private a manner to project the substance either of the text or the music. A more rhetorical delivery would have compensated but instead there's an internalized quality that defeats the whole object of the exercise. Admittedly the degree of reticence varies from singer to singer and from piece to piece. Dominique Visse is, as always, strong and confident, Agnes Mellon, at the opposite extreme, doesn't sound at home in this repertory and is reluctant to give us more than the bare notes. The two tenors hardly rise to the challenge of the semi-erotic imagery of Anima mea liquefacta est, and the protagonists in Die sieben Worten begin to sing with touching warmth only at Jesus's closing words.

Magic moments certainly exist on this record but they do not come in high concentration. Readers of the insert booklet will be rewarded by Jean-Pierre Ouvrard's sensitive note, which speaks more eloquently on the music's behalf than do the singers; texts, however, are given in original languages only, without translation. As if in sympathy with the interpretations, the recording quality is flat, with a perceptible hum underlying several of the tracks.

JM



		This is, frankly, a duller record than it ought to have been. Goodness knows that Schutz is not to blame: all the pieces included here are fine ones, and the more precious for being rarities on record. Nor can one cavil at the contribution of Les Saqueboutiers de Toulouse, who play marvellously. The trouble is that Schutz's music simply doesn't fire the imagination of the Clement Janequin Ensemble, whose singing is largely routine and tentative. It helps little that the balance is often not in their favour; but then, it was risky combining an ensemble of only five solo voices with a full complement of cornetts and sackbuts.



		The choice of forces is symptomatic of a more fundamental problem, particularly evident in the opening Magnificat, SWV468. The singers treat it as a concerted madrigal rather than a liturgical setting, and perform in too delicate and private a manner to project the substance either of the text or the music. A more rhetorical delivery would have compensated but instead there's an internalized quality that defeats the whole object of the exercise. Admittedly the degree of reticence varies from singer to singer and from piece to piece. Dominique Visse is, as always, strong and confident, Agnes Mellon, at the opposite extreme, doesn't sound at home in this repertory and is reluctant to give us more than the bare notes. The two tenors hardly rise to the challenge of the semi-erotic imagery of Anima mea liquefacta est, and the protagonists in Die sieben Worten begin to sing with touching warmth only at Jesus's closing words.



		Magic moments certainly exist on this record but they do not come in high concentration. Readers of the insert booklet will be rewarded by Jean-Pierre Ouvrard's sensitive note, which speaks more eloquently on the music's behalf than do the singers; texts, however, are given in original languages only, without translation. As if in sympathy with the interpretations, the recording quality is flat, with a perceptible hum underlying several of the tracks.