This disc seems devoted to the seemingly inexhaustible repertoire
produced in North Germany in the 17th century. However, the title
is more specific than the programme justifies. Only the organ pieces
are connected to Hamburg, and the music of about half of the programme
was not written in North Germany. It is rather odd, for instance,
that the performers have included a trio sonata by Bach which not
only has no connection to Hamburg but also doesn't belong in
the category of 'devotional music'. The presence of
Rosenmüller is also questionable. Accused of a paedo-sexual offence
the composer fled to Hamburg and then to Italy. It seems unlikely
that he was active in Hamburg as a composer.
Pieces for organ take an notable place in the programme, and that
is understandable. North Germany and especially Hamburg enjoyed the
presence of some of Europe's largest and finest organs, and
the organists who played them were among the greatest virtuosos of
their time. They belonged among the best-paid musicians and played
a key role in musical life in North German cities. In their compositions
they combined traditional counterpoint with the influences of the
latest Italian music - the so-called stylus phantasticus
- and the impulses from Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck. The latter was
the main teacher of many German organists, and through him they became
acquainted with the style of the English virginalists.
Three of the main organists of the 17th century are represented in
the programme. Heinrich Scheidemann is considered one of the founding
fathers of the North German organ school. He was a pupil of Sweelinck
and his reputation was such that a large number of his works were
disseminated across Germany by colleagues and pupils. His Praeambulum
in D is a characteristic piece in free improvisatory style; such
works were frequently played - mostly improvised - during the liturgy.
Matthias Weckmann was a pupil of Heinrich Schütz in Dresden,
and became organist of the Jacobikirche in Hamburg in 1655, following
what was considered a 'spectacular audition'. In the
Fantasia ex D we find some of the features of the North German
organ school, such as brilliant passagework and echo effects. These
are also present in the chorale fantasia Christ lag in Todesbanden
by Franz Tunder. He became organist in Lübeck, and founded the
Abendmusiken. The chorale fantasia is a genre which was mainly
confined to North Germany. The chorale melody doesn't stay
in one voice but moves through the voices and every line is extensively
elaborated. The result is a long and brilliant piece in which the
whole array of playing techniques of the time is displayed. Juan de
la Rubia plays very well, but the brilliance of the organ pieces doesn't
fully come off. That goes in particular for the chorale fantasia by
Tunder, especially due to the rather slow tempo. As a result the contrasts
within this piece - a feature of the stylus phantasticus
- are somewhat understated.
Obviously vocal music played an important part in the liturgy as well.
However, it seems that none of the vocal items in this programme has
any connection to Hamburg or even the region. I have already referred
to Johann Rosenmüller: part of his vocal music was written in
Leipzig, but most of it dates from his time in Italy. It is very likely
that the largest part of his sacred concertos was composed for performance
in Germany. That said, I cannot rule out that his compositions on
a Latin text, such as Eja torpentes animae surgite, may have
been performed in Venice where he stayed until the last years of his
life. It is introduced here by an improvisation on the theorbo. I
can't tell anything about the connection between text and music
as the lyrics are not included in the booklet and are also not available
on the Brilliant Classics site. It is a purely Italian piece bearing
witness to the composer's strong Italian leanings which date
from well before his stay in Italy.
Johann Philipp Krieger was also not related to Hamburg. The largest
part of his life he worked at the court of Weissenfels, southwest
of Leipzig. He is an interesting link between the style of the 17th
century and that of the 18th. In his oeuvre we find cantatas with
recitatives and arias - which was to become the standard form in the
18th century - and sacred concertos as were common in the previous
century. Herr, auf dich trau ich is an example of the latter
and is taken from a collection printed in 1697. It is a setting of
Psalm 31 in the translation by Martin Luther. There are marked contrasts
between the various verses and the stylus phantasticus was
almost tailor-made to expose these contrasts. This results in a quite
dramatic piece in which the different feelings and thoughts as expressed
in the text are drastically pointed out. Laia Frigolé gives
an impressive performance and shows a good understanding of the content
of this psalm, even though she is not a German speaker. Her pronunciation
may be not perfect, but is certainly not bad - I have heard much worse.
Lastly, the instrumental pieces. Again, no connection to Hamburg,
but highly enjoyable all the same. Rosenmüller's sonata
is one of his best-known, and in my opinion one of his most beautiful.
Since I heard the subject of the fugue of the second movement for
the first time it has never left me. This piece is very well played
here; I liked especially the improvisatory elements and also the ornamentation
of the second movement when it is repeated at the end of the sonata.
Bach's trio sonata is also given a very fine account. The rhythmic
pulse comes off perfectly, and the Affekt of the second movement
is not lost on the performers either.
The author of the liner-notes heaps praise on the performances of
the ensemble. An author of a text in a booklet should be more neutral
and leave these judgements to the listener. In this case I wholeheartedly
agree with him. This young ensemble, founded in 2010, is a very fine
group which should have a bright future. For the most part I have
enjoyed these performances and would commend this disc to everyone
who is interested in this kind of repertoire. That said, they should
have been more critical in their choice of repertoire or have chosen
a different title for their disc.
Johan van Veen
http://www.musica-dei-donum.org
https://twitter.com/johanvanveen
Track listing
Johann ROSENMÜLLER (c1619-1684)
Sonata II à 2 [8:16]
Heinrich SCHEIDEMANN (c1595-1663)
Praeambulum in D (WV 33) [3:17]
Johann ROSENMÜLLER
Eja torpentes animae surgite, sacred concerto [5:14]
Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)
Trio sonata in d minor (BWV 527) [11:43]
Michael PRAETORIUS (1571-1621)
Christ lag in Todesbanden, chorale setting [1:13]
Franz TUNDER (1614-1667)
Christ lag in Todesbanden, chorale fantasia [14:32]
Matthias WECKMANN (c1616-1674)
Fantasia ex D [5:08]
Johann Philipp KRIEGER (1649-1725)
Herr, auf dich trau ich, sacred concerto [11:12]
Dieterich BUXTEHUDE (c1637-1707)
Herr, wenn ich nur dich hab', cantata (BuxWV 38) [3:27]
