Any
new recording of these works will need to be something
special to set it apart from the many others that are available.
Recent rivals have unsurprisingly tended to come from period
instrument ensembles but the Cologne Chamber Orchestra
adopt “the principles of historical performance practice
on modern instruments and so can meet the needs of modern
concert halls”, according to the disc’s liner information.
Depending on your taste in such matters this is likely
either to be an attractive or off-putting factor. Should
you like Norrington’s recent approach to conducting modern
instruments, for example, then the results achieved here
may well be acceptable.
To
my ears however this approach misses something fundamental:
period instruments and modern ones have distinct differences
in the timbres they produce and this is largely to do with
the strengths and weaknesses of each when played. Period
string instruments respond better when less vibrato is
employed whereas modern string instruments rely more on
the use of vibrato in playing to bring textures to life.
Vibratoless playing on modern instruments – by and large
what we have here – sounds for the most part rather dull
compared to what might be achieved, even though one has
to admit that the standard of orchestral playing produced
by the Cologne Chamber Orchestra is perfectly respectable.
On
the whole the tempi adopted by Helmut Müller-Brühl are
reasonably predictable, which when taken into overall account
does not help either reading stand out against those led
by Christopher Hogwood (The Academy of Ancient Music with
Emma Kirkby and James Bowman) or Christophe Rousset (Talens
Lyriques with Barbara Bonney and Andreas Scholl). Both
rivals imbue the works with a greater sense of feeling
for instrumental line and Hogwood in particular enjoys
drawing more adventurous tempi for his players to not only
follow but delight in also.
So
it is also with the singers. Jörg Waschinski I found somewhat
hard to get used to. Whilst there is no denying technical
ability and clarity of enunciation his tone is often produced
with an edgy attack that can pall after a while. The Stabat
Mater, by far the longer of the two works presented
here, is rendered more listenable by Michael Chance’s contributions,
which are given with greater subtlety on the whole. If
only greater care had been taken to choose two voices that
blended better than Waschinski’s and Chance’s, things might
have been better still. By way of comparison, Kirkby and
Bowman sound fresh-voiced and ever youthful blending well
in tone, and their readings carry an intelligent response
to text that never fails to delight. Andreas Scholl acquits
himself favourably also with delivery that is never anything
other than incisive. After Kirkby’s crystal clear tones
Bonney for Rousset, normally an incisive singer, can seem
just a little off the mark in achieving “the rapt adulations
of spontaneous faith”, to quote Cris Posslac’s useful liner
notes, set down so movingly by the dying 26 year old composer. But
there is little to choose between either soprano and the
choice will be one of personal taste.
The Salve
Regina fares better with Jörg Waschinski as soloist
than the Stabat Mater, but only slightly. What
shines through however is the powerful yet simple vision
encapsulated in the music, not to mention the originality
of much of the writing itself. Its chromaticism and exploration
of dissonance recall Pergolesi’s operatic output and
bring the two very different worlds of stage and private
devotion almost to the point of meeting. That ultimately
private devotion remains the dominant characteristic
is wholly appropriate, and with it also a much needed
sense of intimacy in performance. This Hogwood, the Academy
of Ancient Music and Emma Kirkby deliver with unassuming
naturalness. Naxos’s readings are serviceable but ultimately
undistinguished when placed alongside such rival recordings.
Evan Dickerson
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Jörg Waschinski
(soprano) 1 
