Gesu Al Calvario (Comp)

Editorial Reviews
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In an age of artistic conformity, Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745) had a refreshingly individual voice. In his own time he was described as 'a reserved, bigoted Catholic, but also a respectable, quiet, unassuming man, deserving of the greatest respect'. His music earned Bach's respect for its serious contrapuntal procedures; today's listeners, though, are more immediately charmed by Zelenka's quirky turns of phrase and flashes of original genius. There are plenty of these in the Passion oratorio Gesù al Calvario (1735), one of the composer's three late oratorios. This is an essentially contemplative oratorio. All the 'action' is concentrated into a single scene in which the three Marys and St John are waiting on the Mount of Calvary for Jesus after he has been sentenced to death. The crucifixion itself is not depicted, just the emotional reactions to it. There are the shouts of the crowd, the anger of St John, the grief of the Holy Mother and, unusually, an aria sung by Christ himself. The level of musical inspiration is very high, with a string of disturbingly powerful arias which crank up the emotional temperature with increasingly evocative accompaniments. The singers are underscored at first by strings alone, later joined by a pair of flutes, then a pair of oboes and lastly a chalumeau. The remarkable final aria 'Che fiero martire' for the Virgin Mary incorporates them all in a concertante manner strongly prophetic of later Classical practices. Of the many engaging 'Zelenka-isms' here, the most prominent are the use of highly coloured chromatics, striking ideas played by the whole orchestra in unison and some unusual rhythmic and melodic motifs which probably derive from Bohemian folk music. Hermann Max directs an emotionally committed performance with good if not always entirely exhilarating instrumental playing. The solo chalumeau is certainly too shy and occasionally the other soloists, too, are not always precisely spotlit by the recording engineers. The vocal soloists are more rewarding, though for all her dramatic energy Ingrid Schmithusen makes for a rather shrill Virgin Mary (and she bends her vowels something rotten). Kai Wessel really enjoys himself in a particularly fine 'rage' aria for St John, and both here and elsewhere da capos are modestly but effectively ornamented. This is rich and wonderful music which has been silent for too long. It's a shame about the lack of an English translation, but otherwise this première recording deserves a very warm welcome indeed. Simon Heighes

Customer Reviews:

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2006-03-29

Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745) is one of the most significant discoveries of the 18th century. His instrumental music has been made accessible through excellent recordings, although the major part of his creative output, his church music, is still only available on CD in the form of excerpts. For liturgical use he composed 22 masses, a Requiem, and a "Melodrama de St Wenzeslo". In addition to these he created three big Italian oratorios on sacred subjects, and a number of cantatas, two of which were intended for Holy Week; 'Gesu al Calvario' being one of these. The action in this work is concentrated on one single scene:the Holy Mother, Mary Magdalene, Maria Cleofa, and St.John are waiting on the Mount of Calvary for Jesus, after he has been sentenced to death. The event is reflected in the words of the active persons and the shouts of the daughters of Zion, the crowd, and the host of believers. The words mainly express the human relationships of the Passion: the riveting complaints of a mother who has to watch her child being tortured to death, the touching helplessness of the on-lookers searching for some meaning in an event that is beyond human understanding. This emotional symbolism in Zelenka is not just of peripheral significance but is used for defining the structure and creating the form. In this way, Zelenka speaks an enlightened, individual musical language from which a deep, religious commitment can be discerned. I'm having a great deal of difficulty accepting Matthew Westphal's assessment of this recording. The problems with these discs lies not with the composer (Zelenka) but with the poor performance on the part of the vocal soloists, particularly Kai Wessel, who has a really low-grade countertenor voice. At the beginning when he sings his first aria :"Se in te fosse" his mediocrity is blatantly obvious upon the entrance of David Cordier who is an excellent countertenor and immediately follows him.The female voices distract rather than entertain; they are just not into the emotional content of this oratorio! And to further annoy the listener the accompanying booklet has no English translation. I really hope someone else takes the time to record this; someone like Cleobury or Gardiner.

Italian Oratorios: Tafelmusik & Matthew White

Average customer rating:

The CD I want to lend to everyone . . .

Italian Oratorios: Tafelmusik & Matthew White

Manufacturer: Analekta
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Disperato Amore
Vivaldi: Bajazet [Includes Bonus DVD]

ASIN: B0001HOX50
Release Date: 2007-04-03

Tracks:

Introduzione
Aria 'Se In Te Fosse Viva Fede Al Veder'
Aria 'A Che Riserbano I Cieli I Fulmini'
Allegro
Adagio
Ciaccona
Aria 'Agitata Infido Flatu Diu'
Aria 'Nolio O Cara Te Adorantis'
Spiritoso
Adagio
Allegro
Aria 'Mascheratevi, I Miei Sdegni'
Aria 'Perche Mormora Il Sdegni'
Aria 'Bramo, Insieme, E Morte E Vita'
Aria 'Miei Genitori, Addio'
Introduzione
Aria 'Giacche Mi Tremi In Seno'

Tracks:

Danse Macabbre - Angele Dubeau
Prelude And Fuge In A Minor For Organ By J.S. Bach - Alain Lefevre
Cantata For Alto, Flute And Continuo - Luc Beausejour
Aria In E Flat Major - Genevieve Soly
Concerto For Recorder, Two Violins, Viola, And Continuo in F Major, GWV 323 - Nathalie Michaud
Sonata in A Major, K. 323 - Luc Beasusejour
Suite No. 3 in D Major [BWV 1068] - Tafelmusik
Cantata Ich Habe Genug
Kyrie VIII
Liebsleid - James Ehnes
Sonata For Cello And Piano in F Major, Op. 99 - Jean Saulnier
Piano Trio in E Flat Major, Op. 1, No.1 - The Gryphon Trio
Hungarian Dance in G Minor - Orchestre Symphonique De Quibec

Customer Reviews:

The CD I want to lend to everyone . . ........2004-04-27

. . . except that it's the CD I don't want to lend to anyone. As masterful and elegant as anything you'll ever hear, but also highly accessible (in fact I caught my 18-year-old definitely-not-a-baroque-fan brother whistling the first Zelenka aria -- rather spiritedly, too -- after just one incidental hearing). Tafelmusik's playing is a pleasure throughout, for its trademark freshness and immediacy -- I especially enjoy Vivaldi's "String Concerto in C Major" on this disk -- and the arias practically seem to be made for Matthew White. From the lively brilliance of Zelenka, to the gentle "Noli o cara te adorantis" from Vivaldi's "Juditha triumphans" (the words are actually kind of sinister, but could you really cut off the head of anyone who sang to you like this?), to the whole varied set from A. Scarlatti's "Cain" (for pure beauty, just listen to "Miei genitori, addio"), you can only increasingly admire White's unerring musical sense and command -- and of course that stunning, lovely voice.

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

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