Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Schicksalslied, Op 54 (1871)
Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Drei Hymnen, Op 71 (1921)
Max Reger (1873-1916)
An die Hoffnung, Op 124 (1912)
Wolfgang Rihm (b 1952)
Hölderlin-Fragmente (1977 version)
Karita Mattila (soprano); Johannes M Kösters (baritone)
Chor des Mitteldeutschen Rundfunks Leipzig
Berliner Philharmoniker/Claudio Abbado
rec. live, 26-28 February, 1993, Philharmonie, Berlin
German texts and English & French translations included
Presto CD
Sony Classical SK53975 [58]
This CD was first issued by Sony in 1994. It preserves a typically interesting and thoughtful concert programme devised by Claudio Abbado when he was Chief Conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic. All four works are musical settings of poetry by Friedrich Hölderlin (1770-1843).
The opening item is the only one to feature a chorus: Brahms’ Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny). As it happens, I have another Abbado recording of this fine work; it’s included in a compilation of four Brahms choral works which he recorded – under studio conditions, I think – for DG at various dates between 1988 and 1991 (435 791-2). DG’s Schicksalslied recording was made in 1989; it, too, was made in the Philharmonie with the Berlin Philharmonic but on that occasion the choir was the Ernst-Senff Chor. I can detect virtually no difference of any significance between Abbado’s interpretations; in both recordings, the orchestral introduction, for example, is ideally spacious and in the dynamic section (‘Doch uns ist gegeben,…’) he makes sure that there’s real bite and urgency in both the playing and singing. On this Sony disc the BPO plays wonderfully for him and he is well served by the Leipzig Radio choir, whose collective singing is excellent. My only reservation about the choir’s contribution is that, even when I listened through headphones, I couldn’t always hear the words clearly. The Ernst-Senff Chor are rather better in that respect, which may be because the DG recording seems a little more clearly focused than Sony’s sound. Overall, though, this is a very fine performance of a splendid piece.
The great Finnish soprano Karita Mattila joins the orchestra to perform the Drei Hymnen by Strauss. These three orchestral songs place huge demands on the singer but Ms Mattila, who is on peak form, is equal to all the composer’s challenges. The first song ‘Hymne an die Liebe’ is a big song in every sense. From the very start, Mattila commands the stage, delivering the ecstatic outpourings superbly. She’s wonderfully supported by Abbado and the orchestra. ‘Rückkehr in die Heimat’ (Returning Home) is lighter in texture at first – the orchestration is delectable – but becomes more rapturous as the music unfolds. Mattila’s singing is ravishing. Last comes ‘Der Liebe’. Even more than the other two songs, this is operatic in dimensions – Strauss packs an awful lot into less than seven minutes of music. The orchestral writing is consistently rich and inventive. Mattila rides the waves of orchestral sound imperiously; this is fabulous Strauss singing. As with all the pieces on this disc, there’s no applause after the performance but I bet the Berlin audience went wild.
Mattila returns to sing an extended piece by Max Reger, An die Hoffnung. I don’t recall that I’ve heard this before. In the booklet notes, Joachim Noller tells us that Reger designed the structure of the piece even before he had settled on a text to set. Noller says the piece “was to consist of a ‘Scena (recitative) and aria’, a two-part design that can still be traced to the finished work…”. He goes on to say that “The second part (‘Im grünen Tale’) is a pastorale arioso, with lyrical instrumental melodies and fleet-footed siciliano rhythms”. Thus, helpfully forewarned, I found it quite easy to discern Reger’s bi-partite scheme; I have to say, though, that what I hear in the second part is not quite as light and airy as Mr Noller’s description might suggest. Reger set five stanzas of poetry and in the first two the tone is very serious and intense; Mattila is highly expressive. In the second section (from 5:51) the music is less dark than what we have heard so far – there are suggestions of bird song in the woodwind writing, for example; but it seems to me that there’s no real let-up in the intensity. To be honest, An die Hoffnung is a piece that I find it easier to admire than to take to my heart. I’m glad that I have the recording in my collection, though, and I venture to suggest that not many sopranos would be able to put it across as compellingly or with such authority as does Karita Mattila.
There’s a change of vocal soloist for the final item; the baritone Johannes M Kösters takes over for the piece by Wolfgang Rihm. I can’t recall that I’ve heard Kösters before but I was impressed. In this piece Rihm set nine poetic fragments by Hölderlin. The whole work lasts 9:13 and the individual sections are short, ranging from just 0:16 to 1:36 in length. We learn from the notes that Rihm made a conscious decision to emphasise the fragmentary nature of the texts. Thus, there’s no attempt to combine any of the texts together; instead Rihm deliberately breaks off after each fragment and starts again. The approach is entirely logical but, given the brevity of each section, I find that the result is truly fragmentary and I don’t discern any unity in the work as a whole, though maybe that’s my fault. I don’t know what orchestral forces Rihm deploys in the work but some of the loud passages suggest a large orchestra is involved. I mention that because much of the writing is subdued or mysterious. Rihm is often very restrained in his scoring, which makes the occasional loud outbursts all the more explosive; this is a work of contrasts. The Berlin Philharmonic plays with tremendous precision while Kösters is superb. I don’t pretend to understand the work, and my attempts at understanding are hampered by the fact that several of the fragments of poetry are so brief that one can’t readily discern a meaning behind them. However, I do admire Rihm’s craftsmanship, especially in the orchestral writing and, as I’ve already suggested, the performance seems to me to be exemplary.
The recorded sound is good, as is the documentation.
This fascinating compilation of Hölderlin-inspired pieces is an excellent example of Claudio Abbado’s inquisitive and discerning approach to programming. It’s good that Presto Classical have rescued the disc from the dungeon where deletions slumber and restored it to circulation.
John Quinn
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