The feature presentation
on this disc, Schubert’s Deutsche
Messe, had its genesis in an interesting
combination of musical pragmatism and
religious significance. The texts, by
Johann Philip Neumann, are notable in
that they are a German setting of the
Roman Catholic Mass. The goal, of course,
was to allow wider access to the content
of the liturgy, which, incidentally,
was also the goal of Emperor Joseph
II when he decreed that Latin be abandoned
and German adopted as the language of
the Church. Neumann, who commissioned
Schubert to set his texts, performed
the Deutsche Messe with students
from the Polytechnic Institute where
he was professor of physics. It seems
logical that he would have alerted Schubert
to the amateur status of these student
musicians. Schubert responded with a
piece that combined both religious and
pragmatic concerns. The text is always
intelligible, and the piece is extraordinarily
singable: phrases are short and grammatical,
the extremes of the vocal ranges are
avoided, the texture is generally homophonic,
and instrumental interludes provide
ample time to prepare for upcoming entrances.
The effect is quite attractive, if not
overwhelmingly interesting.
The Tölzer Knabenchor,
under the director of Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden,
gives an admirable reading of the work
in some respects. Diction is generally
good, and the choir certainly sings
with passion that can only come from
a true understanding of the text. The
accompanying wind ensemble (Schubert
scored no string parts) provides beautiful
support throughout. However, this performance
is lacking in several important technical
aspects. Crisp, unison final consonants
that are essential for solid homophonic
choral singing are often totally non-existent
in this recording. In many cut-offs,
one can hear at least a few voices continuing
to phonate beyond the rest of the choir.
Vowel unity is also a problem for this
group as the vowel is often completely
unintelligible. Schmidt-Gaden seems
partial to parsing the already small
phrases into even smaller units. The
result is disjunct, ungrammatical singing
as some of his phrasing decisions approach
defiance of the phrase structure of
the German. Balance is troubling at
times as the middle voices, particularly
the tenors, overpower the fragile voices
of the boy sopranos.
It is a relief to say
that many of the problems encountered
in the Schubert are not present in the
selections that follow. Both Mozart
pieces show the choir in considerably
better form. The more limited vowel
palette that Latin offers seems to help
the choir as vowel unity is much more
consistently successful. The phrasing
in these selections is also greatly
improved. Hansi Buchwinder, soprano,
offers two selections: the Bach/Gounod
Ave Maria and the solo part of
the Laudate Dominum from Mozart’s
Vesperae solennes de confessore.
The Bach/Gounod contains some superb
moments. The high notes approach the
limits of his range, but the overall
effect is sublime. Renowned for its
difficultly (just ask a professional
soprano), the Mozart offers a much larger
challenge than the Bach/Gounod. Buchwinder
meets it head on, but some moments require
more technical finesse than he has available.
However, it is imperative to note that
any boy soprano who can even get through
this piece deserves considerable admiration.
While it would be tempting
to purchase this disc for the interesting
and varied repertoire included, the
performances, for the most part, do
not make it an essential addition to
any collection. There are some truly
exceptional moments; however, these
do not compensate for the more prominent
sections of mediocrity.
Jonathan Rohr
Hansi Buchwinder (soprano) 
