Das Marienleben is, I have no doubt, one of the great song-cycles
of the 20th century. It is a truly astonishing piece
of work: fifteen songs, setting words by Rilke. It was written
as recently as 1912 and charts the life of the Virgin Mary. Hindemith
first set the texts as a cycle in 1922/1923 and almost immediately
set about making a revised, simpler, version which he published
in 1948. This is the version recorded here. For me, the original
version is the better of the two, showing, as it does, Hindemith’s
thoughts in a raw state, full of passion, expressionistic flair.
There’s an overwhelming urgency to the music, not to mention a
keyboard part to tax even the greatest virtuoso. That Glenn Gould
recorded the earlier score, with Roxolana Roslak
(Sony Classical SM2K 52674 – 2 CDs) is proof of this demand of keyboard excellence.
The later score is easier on the ear. Some of the angularity of
the music has been removed and the corners are more rounded. It
is a more mature, and restrained, look at the story. Might I here
mention that in the 1960s the BBC broadcast a complete performance
of the original score sung by the great Heather Harper with, if
I remember correctly, Paul Hamburger. That performance is still
in the BBC archive and is surely a candidate for re–issue on BBC
Legends if only for the chance to hear such magnificent singing.
But
what of this performance? Elisabeth Meyer–Topsře is the
possessor of a big, fruity, mature operatic voice. She studied
privately with Birgit Nilsson and has sung Wagner and Strauss,
amongst others. She has worked at both the Nürnberg Opera and
the Deutsche Oper, Berlin – and here lies the problem. Das
Marienleben covers the whole of the Virgin’s life, starting
with Geburt Maria (Maria’s birth) –
“How difficult it
must have been for the angels…
when yet they knew: this night the boy’s
mother shall be born,”
through Mariae
Heimsuchung (Maria’s Visitation) –
“…her own fertility
was spread out around her;
when she walked she felt: never would the greatness
which she was now perceiving be exceeded.”
and the impassioned
outpouring of Pičta –
“Now my misery is
complete and without a name
it fills me. I stiffen as the interior
of a stone stiffens.”
To
the final three songs, Vom Tode Maria (On Maria’s death)
–
“…If
you want to know
where she is who moves your heart:
See: like a pillow of lavenders
she was laid in there for a short while,”
A
vast repertoire of vocal and tonal variety and control is essential
to convey the full story from infancy to death.
Meyer–Topsře
sings the songs well. She obviously understands, and has a real
feeling for, the workings of the music. However, she sings each
song in the same way – with a full voice, free vibrato and little
subtlety. In the opening songs, which require a great deal of
wide–eyed, childlike innocence, such as is required in Finzi’s
great song cycle Dies Natalis, any sense of wonder is
entirely missing because of the vocal production, which is big
and operatic. These fragile flowers require a much more delicate
approach. There is no awe in the impending arrival of the Mother
of the Son of God. The wide and heavy adult vibrato, which verges
on the very edge of uncontrolled wobble, becomes irritating
very quickly. By the time I reached Pičta, the eleventh
song – which is surely one of Hindemith’s most deeply felt musical
utterances – I’d really had enough of this kind of singing.
Strangely though, in the following song Stillung Maria mit
dem Auferstandenen (Mary’s Consolation with the Resurrected
Christ) there is a restrained and quite thoughtful use of
the voice, which would have been welcome at the start.
Lieder singing is
a very special art. Just because you can sing opera doesn’t
necessarily mean you can sing lieder and vice versa. Indeed
there are many opera singers who simply cannot, whether they
would admit it or not, perform lieder with any degree of satisfaction,
or even competence. Unfortunately these days singers seem to
see opera as the only vocal art. The pressure on the voice when
trying to project over an orchestra, especially a large band,
can quickly do damage to the instrument. Uncontrollable wobble
has taken the place of subtle vibrato which, when used correctly,
can create a most beautiful sound. Unfortunately
this is the kind of singing we encounter so often today and
it is this kind of singing which, for me, spoils this performance;
the vocal line is corrupted by poor vocal control.
Per
Salo is a wonderful pianist and his contribution is marvellous
and well worth hearing. The booklet contains very good notes
and the text with both English and Danish translations. The
recording is exemplary.
Bob
Briggs
see also Review
by Jonathan Woolf
Elisabeth Meyer–Tops
