Dietrich
Buxtehude is, perhaps, best known for his inclusion in an
oft-repeated anecdote in which J. S. Bach walks 300 miles
to hear him play. Buxtehude’s career in Lübeck had him preside
over the extensive musical activities of the Marienkirche,
which included duties as an organist and composer, affiliation
with the collegium musicum, and the solicitation of monetary
support for various concert series he directed at the church.
Buxtehude’s reputation was one of a great organ virtuoso,
and even now, his virtuosic organ works are his most often-performed
compositions.
This
disc offers several of Buxtehude’s small scale cantatas for
solo voices and vocal quartet. Quintessentially North German
in character, this is by no means the most interesting music
available; however, the personnel included on this recording
do an admirable job of bringing the music to a professional,
well-considered, and expressive level of performance.
The
four singers sing both the solo and ensemble parts, which
lends an extraordinarily consistent sound from one movement
to the next. The matching vocal timbres from solo movements
to choral movements allow the listener to hear these small-scale
works as cogent pieces from movement to movement. Emma Kirkby
is the headlining vocalist on this recording, and her performances
are, as usual, highly virtuosic. She has an incredibly agile
voice that can wrap itself around phrases of considerable
difficulty. It seems though, that in exchange for her lightning
coloratura, she is forced to sacrifice some color and expressive
nuance. Kirkby’s solo cantata Dixit Dominus Domino meo,
is one of the standouts on the disc, both for her performance
and for its compositional aspects. There is much variation
from movement to movement that is not present in many of the
other selections. The other vocal standout is tenor, Charles
Daniels. His voice is light, well-focused, and perfect for
this repertoire. On rare occasion, he seems to over-brighten
his tone. In the last movement of Lobe den Herrn, meine
Seele, Daniels executes some passages of Olympic magnitude.
The
Purcell Quartet with its assortment of guests provides solid
support for the singers as well as gorgeous playing during
instrumental sections. One hears immediately that these are
players who perform together regularly.
If
Buxtehude cantatas are the object of your enthusiasm, this
disc provides a good number of them performed by some of the
best early music specialists out there. They are a homogeneous
bunch of works, so listening to the disc in one sitting borders
on monotony. For a collector, however, this disc should not
go unpurchased.
Jonathan
Rohr
