June 1, 2015

  • The Dvorak Requiem

    Dvorak: Requiem, Op.89
    Ilse Eerens, soprano. Bernarda Fink, alto. Maximilian Schmitt, tenor. Nathan Berg, bass.
    Collegium Vocale Ghent, Royal Flemish Philharmonic/Philippe Herreweghe
    Outhere Music LPH 016
    Disc One—Total Time:  50:49
    Disc Two—Total Time:  42:33
    Recording:   ****/****
    Performance: ****/****

    By the time Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) determined to write a setting of the requiem mass, he was a very well established composer.  However, by 1889, he was also becoming quite controversial as well due in part to those who wanted him to continue writing folk-inspired works, and those who felt these pieces, rightly so, were politically motivated and came under attack by the right-wing nationalists in Vienna.  It was there where the sixth symphony had been commissioned by the Vienna Philharmonic who subsequently refused to play the work.  The controversy is a perfect example of the time with the complaint being “Why should a Czech write German music?”

    Dvorak, whose international reputation was by now rising, headed then to England where the symphony was very well received.  It was for this new found “homeland” of sorts that he conceived composing the Requiem.  The piece does not come from any particular personal loss—though perhaps, very subtly, it was a place for Dvorak to lay his frustration and anger to rest.  The music thus gives us a rather unique window into the composer’s development at the height of his power (having completed the eighth symphony) and prior to his triumphant visits to America.

    The piece is truly massive with an opening ten-minute “Requiem eternam-Kyrie” serving as the Introitus.  The Sequentia portion is equally long with six separate text movements running to over 34 minutes.  The Offertorium follows with two equal-length settings of “Domine Jesu Christe” and “Hostias” before moving into a “Sanctus-Benedictus”, “Pie Jesu” and a closing “Agnus Dei”.  The work runs a little over 90 minutes in length which puts it on a trajectory similar to Verdi’s more familiar work.  This piece too features four soloists against a large orchestra and chorus.  Everything about this piece eschews current popular trends from the German Baroque revival, Viennese classicism, or his own Czech-inspired music.  The result then is a work that asserts Dvorak’s unique musical voice—a testament to his own stylistic artistic arrival.  One of the primary themes of the work further inspired Czech composers as it appears in Suk’s Asrael Symphony and Martinu employs it in several of his symphonies.  In this respect it becomes a sort of touchstone in the literature worthy of exploration.

    This Requiem has one foot firmly in the operatic world, apparent from its often very dramatic writing and the general atmosphere of the music.  In this respect, it takes its place alongside Verdi’s 1874 masterful setting.  Throughout, Dvorak’s musical materials seem to suggest the sense that death is ever present and all around us.  (One might think this aesthetical direction is almost a part of the Symbolist developments bubbling up in the coming decade!)  It begins from a little chromatic idea that appears from the start and works its way throughout the piece.  Also quite fascinating is the way that certain rhythmic ideas or melodic threads provide important connective tissue from one movement to the next.  Throughout there are certainly some slight nods to Wagnerian operatic style, but by now these gestures are as much a part of the musical fabric of the time as anything else.  Still, they do lend the work a special flair in Dvorak’s equally wonderful fully-developed orchestral style

    The opening movement sets the somber tone with slow-moving choral parts and an almost Wagnerian harmonic sense, now quite nuanced, and a rather gorgeous oboe idea that rises above the declamation of the text.  Subtle wind colors add further dramatic flair.  The vocal melodies themselves are equally captivating and when those harmonies change for dramatic impact the results are gorgeous.  Things get very dramatic as we head into the powerful “Dies irae”, though there is some tenderness (and even a little Tristan und Isolde in the violin writing at times!).  “Tuba mirum” does find us more firmly in opera as the vocal soloists come to the forefront with choral climactic interjections.  The flow of the text also suggests a larger scene-setting style and it moves to a huge moment with chimes and trumpets resounding before fading away into the “Quid sum Miser”, which is somewhat chilling at times.  The soloists have a chance to shine a bit more with intricate writing in the “Recordare”.  The “Confutatis” has some very Wagnerian sweeping strings as it kicks off.  As we move into the Offertorium, there is a real delicious blend of Beethoven-like writing in an almost pastoral feel as the pleading for souls to be delivered begins and develops into a little fugue—based on a Czech hymn.  It makes for one of the great bright spots of the work.  Some of the medieval chant touches here in this section of the work, are also interesting dramatic shifts.  The work moves into an exciting “Hostias” with celebratory choral writing filled with great hopefulness in a warm major key.  The beautiful “Sanctus” follows bringing back more solo interaction and some glorious choral writing.  After a more intimate “Pie Jesu”, the “Agnus Dei” follows.  Its setting is surely among the works finest moments with an ending that perhaps feels a bit more grim than one might otherwise expect.  The harmony also takes on an almost modal feel at times.

    There are now a number of recordings of this work, a more economical one appears on Naxos but there are many fine recordings of this work available.  The present one should certainly be added to that mix.  The sound is often exquisite and the soloists are well-balanced with the orchestra.  The purity of the choral tone, and that of the soloists, is certainly the work of Herreweghe while the orchestra has certainly benefitted from the work of its music director, Edo de Waart, in being able to come to this music well-informed of its style.  That is not to take away from Herreweghe’s interpretation in any way as this is truly a beautifully wrought performance aided by the wonderful singing of the Collegium Vocale Ghent.  Sometimes the text itself may get lost a bit in the textures, a common choral problem, but the declamation is there and with the texts at hand, it is very easy to follow along.  The result is an often stunning performance that manages to maintain interest in this massive work throughout the performance.