Andreas Rauch,  Newes Thymiaterium (1651): Rudolf Brunnhuber (voce altus), Gernot Heinrich (voce tenore), Matthias Helm (voce bassis), dolce risonanza/Matthias Krampe, Reformierte Stadtkirche, Vienna, 12.4.2007 (GF)

 

The Reformierte Stadtkirche is a fairly small church, situated a couple of hundred metres from Hofburg in central Vienna. With narrow but quite high interiors it provides excellent acoustics for a small ensemble playing on period instruments, the problem being the trombones which, though played with some restraint, still tended to swamp the countertenor – designated voce altus on this occasion. It was an unfortunate coincidence that two of the countertenor’s solos were with trombones, but even in the solo with only string accompaniment he had difficulties to reach out, so the problem was rather the singer’s lack of power. Rudolf Brunnhuber had a well schooled voice but compared to his colleague soloists he sounded weak.

The music, however, which in this case was the main concern, turned out to be something special. About the composer, Andreas Rauch, born in 1592 in Pottendorf, little is known as to his early training but he had learnt Greek and Latin and was already at the age of eighteen organist in several congregations in Austria. During the unrest in 1620 he was forced to take flight, finally to Hungary in 1628, where in Ödenburg (Sopron) he remained as organist and composer until the end of his life in 1656. A near contemporary of Heinrich Schütz’, his Newe Thymiaterium oder Rauchfässlein from 1651 can be seen as a parallel to the German master’s Symphonie sacrae and Geistliche Chormusik.

The Newes Thymarium, which was performed according to the original printed music from 1651, has survived in only one copy, preserved in the Archiv der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna. It contains texts in both German and Latin and within the larger concept there is a full Mass intermixed. The three soloists appear only one at a time with the tenor carrying the main burden. The dolce risonanza are made up of two violins, a violon (a kind of six-stringed fretted cello), two trombones, a capella fagotto and a chamber organ played here by Matthias Krampe. Nowhere in the composition do all the instruments play all together and I can understand that Mr Krampe didn’t want all musicians to be “on stage” all through the evening: but this also required a lot of walking in and out. Halfway through the work Professor Harald Kluge gave a theological discourse from the pulpit, which was situated very high above both musicians and congregation.

Musically it was a fascinating work, modelled along the lines of Rauch's contemporaries but with individual treatments within the different movements. Sometimes there was a repetitiveness of text-lines - and also fragments that felt almost manic - while elsewhere, notably in the mass-movements, the soloists recited the texts almost like a clergyman’s reading. There was a surprising rhythmic vitality in many of the movements and even though the strings and the organ carried the heaviest burden there was a welcome change of colour through the trombones and the fagotto (bassoon).

Listened to with modern ears the music of this period can seem to lack variety but this – to me at least – completely unknown composer managed to imbue this 75-minute-work with enough variation to make it not only endurable but engrossing in the main. Greatly contributing to this was the playing of the “dolce risonanza” – yes, they shun capital letters – and the vocal soloists. I have already mentioned the voce altus who had an agreeable voice but suffered from the lack of volume that he has in common with many of his voice-mates. The tenor, Gernot Heinrich, started a little hesitantly but soon he came out in his true colours and gave a vital reading of his large and testing part. The bass, Matthias Helm, was an even greater personality with a flexible, warm and expressive voice.

I doubt I will get an opportunity to hear this music again but if I happen to come across another performance I will certainly give it a second hearing. Visitors to – and of course inhabitants of – Vienna should keep their eyes open. If they are lucky it will be performed again – hopefully with these same forces.

 

Göran Forsling