May 31, 2012

• Beethoven: Der glorreiche Augenblick, Op. 136/Fantasia in c, Op. 80

  Claire Rutter, soprano; Matilde Wallevik, mezzo-soprano; Peter Hoare,
  tenor; Stephen Gadd, baritone; Marta Fontanals-Simmons, mezzo-soprano; Julian
  Davies, tenor; Leon McCawley, piano. 
  Westminster Boys Choir, City of London Choir, Royal Philharmonic
  Orchestra/Hilary Davan Wetton

  Naxos 8.572783

  Total Time:  57:41

  Recording:   ****/****

  Performance: ****/****

  The present release features two relatively rare works by Beethoven.  Neither would likely be considered “essential” works but the release is important because it makes these two lesser known works available on a single disc instead of as part of some massive Beethoven collection.  In the case of Der glorreiche Augenblick,
  Op. 136, it may be the only recording available.  The Choral Fantasia, Op. 80, tends to also be a rarity though it occasionally finds its way onto complete piano concerto collection.

  In American music, one tends to have plenty of opportunity
  to hear patriotic works or music inspired by a composer’s own love for
  country.  Beethoven was no stranger to
  such patriotic hopes and dreams for his homeland, and Vienna in
  particular.  Politically, he had his
  moments of disillusionment noted most famously in his renaming of his third
  symphony.  In fact, an earlier cantata
  for the crowning of Emperor Joseph II (1790) may have been an equally good
  template for the work on this release.  And
  most certainly the finale of his ninth symphony looks forward to a uniting of
  all people with great anticipation.  In
  between comes a rather unusual work, Der
  glorreiche Augenblick, Op. 126.  The
  work is a massive cantata for four soloists, children’s chorus, and full chorus
  with orchestra.  The work glorifies the
  city of Vienna along with recognition for the kings and princes of Europe in
  light of the defeat of Napoleon.  It was
  premiered alongside the bombastic Wellington’s
  Victory in 1814.  Commissioned by the
  Vienna City Administration it was certainly the opportunity for an auspicious
  work even if its text by Aloys Weissenbach (and later revised by Joseph Karl
  Bernard) was a bit banal at times. 

  Most fascinating in the cantata is the melding together of
  Beethoven’s own style within this somewhat archaic musical form.  The opening chorus has fugal moments and text
  setting and orchestration that one would expect in late Haydn.  It is perhaps Haydn whose shadow is cast most
  over the piece at first, but this soon gives way to the sort of choral writing
  Beethoven would use again in the ninth symphony.  Beethoven had also recently completed a
  revision of his patriotic opera Fidelio
  not long before and some of that martial musical style finds its way into the
  present piece as well.  Throughout are
  many gorgeous solos for violin and cello. 
  The string writing can feel at times almost Baroque in its churning
  energy and the grand entries of the chorus are certainly an advance upon the
  big oratorio moments from Handel.    What is most wonderful is that the music has
  a real joy and forward motion that engages its listener from the very
  beginning.  In fact, anyone who adores
  the ninth will find much here to enjoy as this writing in some ways sets the
  stage for that later masterpiece.  At any
  rate it is Beethoven at his height and while no one particular moment may stand
  out, as a whole, this is still relatively wonderful music.

  The performance here by the RPO and its cadre of soloists is
  really about the best the work is likely to get on disc for quite a while.  There is not terribly much room for
  overemphasis of dynamics or important accents, but when the orchestra is able
  to get these moments it works very well and the chorus does equally well.  In fact, the recording does a great job of
  imaging the chorus against the orchestra and wind and brass seem to be fairly
  well balanced, though one gets to hear a bit more brass in climaxes cutting
  through the texture.  The recording has a
  good crisp sound with just the proper amount of ambience to warm the
  performance.  With all the fugal entries,
  it is truly amazing that one can fairly easily follow these lines as the
  textures get more complicated.  The music
  is certainly designed to get one up cheering by the exciting conclusion and
  this committed performance certainly succeeds at creating that atmosphere.  Texts for the work are also included with the
  booklet (worth noting since many Naxos releases use an on-line text delivery
  system).

  This reviewer had the opportunity to perform the Choral Fantasia, Op. 80, last year. 
  At first glance, the work feels like one large mess that Beethoven
  stitched together to create a great finale for the concert it would appear on
  December 22, 1808.  The concert would feature
  the premiere of both the fifth and sixth symphonies, the fourth piano concerto,
  a vocal work, a choral piece, and the fantasia. 
  The latter was to be the grand conclusion to the concert which must have
  been quite an evening.  Famously the
  rehearsals and performances did not go so well due to the demands being made on
  the musicians.  The fantasia itself had
  to be restarted at one point due to mis-entries and confusion.  If Beethoven had wanted to compose a work
  that included everything but the kitchen sink, the Choral Fantasia certainly succeeds. 
  The piece begins with a lengthy piano solo before the large orchestra
  comes in, albeit briefly (and often not more than strings).  It is but one of the many surprises of the
  piece which features moments that highlight a string quartet, piano quartet
  wind quintet, and more.  The chorus comes
  in only for the final bars.  But the work
  is still amazingly bold and dramatic when all these forces are lined up on
  stage and held at bay for much of the work’s near twenty-minute length.

  While the opening work tends to focus mostly on the vocal
  and choral performers, the fantasia allows for a great overview of most of the
  orchestral players with plenty of solos for winds and brass or at least some
  well exposed moments where they can demonstrate their balance within the total
  ensemble.  The fact that the recording
  must balance these larger and smaller forces is no doubt a challenge, but it is
  handled wonderfully.  There is more made
  here as well of accents and stylistic nuance that is able to be heard
  throughout the whole of the work.  The RPO
  is no stranger to Beethoven, and yet there is a freshness and energy in this
  and the previous performance that zips the work along.  Leon McCawley, whose career started with wins
  at the International Beethoven Piano Competition, brings a real understanding
  to the work’s wavering between genres of chamber and large-scale style in ways
  that help match the interpretation of the orchestral and choral entries.

   

   

   

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