Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745)
Missa Gratias agimus tibi (ZWV 13)
Magnificat in D (ZWV 108)
Laudate pueri Dominum in F (ZWV 82)
Beatus vir in C (ZWV 76)
Hannah Morrison (soprano), Franziska Bobe (soprano), David Allsopp (alto), Philipp Cieslewicz (alto), Thomas Hobbs (tenor), Jonathan Sells (bass)
Kammerchor Stuttgart, Barockorchester Stuttgart/Frieder Bernius
rec. 2022, Evangelische Kirche Peter und Paul, Gönningen, Germany
Texts included with German translations
Reviewed as a download
Carus 83.515 [52]

In the course of his career, the German conductor Frieder Bernius, with his Kammerchor Stuttgart, has paid much attention to the oeuvre of Jan Dismas Zelenka. He has recorded several masses, and for his latest recording he turned again to the composer’s mass repertoire. We also get three pieces from the three sets of Vesper music that Zelenka put together in 1725, 1726 and 1727.

These Vesper psalms were intended for performance in the Catholic chapel at the court in Dresden. Janice B. Stockigt (University of Melbourne), who wrote the liner-notes to the recordings of these cycles under the direction of Adam Viktora (Nibiru, 2016-2018), points out that the vocal forces who were to perform the music, were different. On the one hand, Zelenka had the chapel boys (Kapellknaben) at his disposal, who sang the tutti and took care of the less demanding solo parts. In her analysis of the various psalms, Stokigt suggests that in some cases the music seems to indicate a performance by Kapellknaben. One example is Laudate pueri (ZWV 82), dated 7 November 1725. The entire text is sung by a choir of sopranos and altos; a solo bass opens the piece with the first lines, which he then repeats until the end of the work.

On the other hand, Zelenka could rely on the Hofkapelle, an ensemble of virtuosos, who were attracted in the first place to sing in opera performances, a major part of music life at the court. They were engaged in 1724, and Zelenka may well have explored their qualities in the demanding solo parts of the Vesper psalms of his first cycle. Stockigt mentions the male soprano Andrea Ruota, the male alto Nicolo Pozzi, the tenor Matteo Luchini and the bass Cosimo Ermini. There was also a choir, but little is known about that.

Whereas Laudate pueri, mentioned above, is through-composed, Beatus vir is divided into three sections. In the first, the largest, part of the psalm, text is sung by the tutti; some verses are sung simultaneously. This section includes a duet of tenor and bass (vs 9). In the closing verse, Zelenka graphically illustrates the text: “The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away”. The doxology is an arioso for soprano, and the work closes with a fugal Amen. This psalm, dated 11 March 1726, was intended for performance the next day, the Feast of St Gregory.

The Magnificat in D is dated 26 November 1725. At a later date, Zelenka added parts of trumpets and timpani to make it suitable for a Vespers at a particularly important feast; that is the version performed here. Despite its length, the work is divided in only three sections. The first comprises the largest part of the text, and is set for soprano solo and choir. After an instrumental introduction, the choir sings the first line on the plainchant melody of the eighth Magnificat tone. The solo for soprano with obbligato violin was undoubtedly meant to be sung by one of the castrati, whereas the violin part may have been played by Johann Georg Pisendel. Fecit potentiam is, unsurprisingly, set for the full ensemble. The second section opens with Suscepit Israel; this is scored for alto solo, accompanied by two oboes and bassoon, and choir. The role of the latter is limited, mainly confined to the doxology. The closing Amen is a double fugue.

The main work of this recording is the Missa Gratias agimus tibi, dated 5 October 1730. In April 1730, a group of young singers arrived in Dresden. The male vocalists of this group were the sopranos Ventura Rochetti and Giovanni Bindi, and the altos Domenico Annibali and Casimiro Pignotti. One of their teachers, the male alto Antonio Campioli, also came with them. There can be little doubt that the mass is inspired by these singers, as it includes several extended solo episodes. The Kyrie opens with an instrumental introduction, in which the trumpets play a major role. The Gloria does not begin with an intonation, but rather another instrumental episode, after which the choir enters with the first verse. It is followed by a sequence of passages for solo voices. Laudamus te is a solo for alto, Gratias agimus is set for soprano with transverse flutes, and Domine fili is a duet of tenor and bass. Qui tollis peccata mundi is a tutti episode in three parts; the closing line, “miserere nobis”, is singled out with harmonic means. Quoniam tu solus Sanctus is a solo for soprano, which is joined by the choir on Cum Sancto Spiritu. The Gloria ends with a fugal Amen. Like the Gloria, the Credo does not open with an intonation.

The largest part of this section is set for the choir. It was customary to set the words about the incarnation in a rather intimate way, to emphasize its miraculous nature. Here, Zelenka realises that by reducing the scoring to three solo voices: soprano, alto and tenor. The Crucifixus is set as a solo for alto. It is not surprising that the entire ensemble, including trumpets and timpani, is used to illustrate the resurrection. It is the opening of the last section, which closes with the Amen. The words “mortuos” and “mortuorum” need to be performed piano. The Sanctus consists of two episodes for choir, which embrace a solo for tenor on the words of the Benedictus. The Agnus Dei has the same structure: Agnus I and III are for choir, Agnus II for four solo voices: two sopranos and two altos. Here the castrati may have been heard. Stylistically it points in the direction of the galant idiom that was soon to dominate the music scene in Dresden.

This disc once again documents the brilliance of Jan Dismas Zelenka. He was a very creative composer, and a voice of his own. He is often called the ‘Catholic Bach’, because of the importance of counterpoint in his oeuvre. The works on this disc includes plenty examples of this. However, the circumstances in which he wrote his music were very different from those in Leipzig, and the presence of Italian castratos, with much experience in opera, allowed him to write demanding and often dramatic solos for high voices. The treatment of the orchestra is also very individual – for instance, in his use of rhythm. The Czech conductor Václav Luks once said that one recognizes Zelenka after just a few bars. His music has received quite some interest, but for a long time that was confined to his last six great masses, his Lamentations and his six sonatas. Today the recordings available allow for a broader picture of his oeuvre, and the present disc is an important contribution to that picture.

The performances are pretty much ideal. With the Kammerchor Stuttgart and the Barockorchester Stuttgart, Frieder Bernius has two top-class ensembles at his disposal. The tutti are brilliantly sung, and the orchestra delivers colourful and dynamically differentiated performances. The obbligato parts are excellently executed. The soloists do a great job. Hannah Morrison has a beautiful voice, which can especially be admired in the Gratias agimus in the mass. David Allsopp is impressive in his sensitive performance of the Crucifixus. Thomas Hobbs shines in the Benedictus, and Jonathan Sells in Laudate pueri. The solo voices blend perfectly in the duets and in the quartet, where they are joined by two members of the choir.

Zelenka was known for his masses, but this disc and the discs on the Nibiru label mentioned above show that his Vesper music is more than simple stuff for daily use. Every piece bears his recognizable personal stamp. All lovers of Zelenka’s music – and there are many of them – should add this disc to their collection. They will play it often.

Johan van Veen
www.musica-dei-donum.org
twitter.com/johanvanveen

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