Monteverdi – Madrigals – Leonhardt

THE 450th ANNIVERSARY OF CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI’S BIRTH

★★★★✰

   Claudio Monteverdi was born in Cremona, traditional musical centre of Northern Italy. In 16th century newborn children were baptized as soon as possible, so his baptism day, May 15th, 1567 is widely recognized as a date of his birth. He was composer of two eras, starting his career in late Renaissance style and continuing his work in early Baroque. And it’s hard to overestimate role Monteverdi played as creator of new musical idioms and establishing new forms. He was one of first composers who were developing the idea of opera as combined music, poetry, dance and theatre, and the first one who wrote opera L’Orfeo being regularly played. His late works Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria (1641) and L'incoronazione di Poppea (1642) remain in common repertoire giving him position of first composer with significant position in the history of opera. These two works, written by composer in his seventies, are considered as his crowning achievements. He died in Venice in 1643.
   Crucial moment in his artistic career was publishing in 1605 his fifth book of madrigals Il quinto libro de madrigali a cinque voci, where he switched main style of musical composition. He resigned of earlier rules of polyphony with strict counterpoint and equity of voices – which he called prima practica. In place of these he used counterpoint more freely with hierarchic voices. These features help him create music with more dramatic emotional shape. In next four books of Madrigals Monteverdi established foundations for the new style. Every book gave new solutions to the problem of relation between lyrics and musical form. Choices of works from Monteverdi’s Libri are common part of musical life, what can be observed in concert programs and record catalogues.

Claudio Monteverdi – Madrigale – Gustav Leonhardt (1979)

   Among many productions some are really significant. Meaningful moment in performing and recording Monteverdi’s music was change from romantic visions of ancient music to historically informed and methodically conscious interpretations. One early examples of such attitude is album called Madrigals (Madrigale in German) published in 1980 under SEON/RCA label. This is one of late issues in catalogue of SEON label, which in 1978 moved from Phonogram to RCA. Recording sessions took place in Haarlem (Holland, Netherlands) in September 1979. Performers were Dutch singers Marjanne Kweksilber (soprano), Marius van Altena (tenor), Michiel ten Houte de Lange (tenor) and Floris Rommerts (bass) and great countertenor from Belgium, René Jacobs. Artistic director was Gustav Leonhardt, who played harpsichord and conducted the ensemble.
   Program of this album was composed with carefully selected madrigals from Monteverdi’s last four books of madrigals. First position of this anthology is four-part Lamento d’Arianna (Libro 6). Second dominant of the programm is three-part Lamento della Ninfa (Libro 8).  Madrigals are often versions of opera arias and duets. Opening second side madrigal Bel pastor (Libro 9) is dramatic scene for two voices where shepherd is seducing shepherdess. This madrigal written to the text by Ottavio Rinuccini was probably a scene from one of lost pastoral operas. Such procedures were normal behavior not only in 17th century. Whole program of 15 madrigals shows also some stylistic dependencies towards earlier style. Monteverdi was using various stylistic means, sometimes even facing to older manners just to give his oeuvres most lucid, credible shape. Such perspective was also shown in collection set by Gustav Leonhardt bringing a lot of musical experience and some further evidences of composer’s greatness.

J. S. Bach – Johannes-Passion BWV 245 – Nikolaus Harnoncourt

   Johann Sebastian Bach was absolute master of every musical forms already existing. At last in all these forms he has chance to deal with. And in addition to one big exception, the opera, almost every musical form known in his times was present in his output. Although he has no chance to receive a request for an opera, he put his narrative ideas into cantatas and oratorios. He used a lots of musical rhetoric means, and he did it in majority of his works. One of most comprehensive narrative works by Johann Sebastian Bach is Johannes-Passion. The Passion According to St. John and double chorus Matthäus-Passion are two survived. There were also preserved many fragments of five composed passions that gave chances for reconstructions of Lucas-Passion and Marcus-Passion. 

   Just as any other church work of Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes-Passion is deeply religious and perfectly united with Lutheran liturgy. This was normal practice in an era of still strong religious conflicts. In first half of 18th century being part of the congregation was still the primary determinant of individual and group identity. And Bach was aware of how powerful the impact of his music is and how great responsibility rests on him. The only possible solution to this dilemma was to compose in line with Lutheran theology. Therefore, in his vision of Johannes-Passion he strictly obeyed the order of worship. No wonder Passion according to St. John has been performed frequently during a quarter-century Leipzig period. Between premiere in 1724 and last acting in 1749 the work was presented at least four times under Bach’s direction.

Harnoncourt – Bach's Johannes-Passion (republished 1984) 

   In second half of 20th century Johannes-Passion was performed by almost every choir capable to perform this work. It was also interpreted by probably every successful conductor, not even necessary focused on baroque music. It was the era of phonograph, so St. John Passion has been recorded in dozens of renditions in both traditions of romantic symphonizm and modern stylization for original baroque sound. Second option based on original instruments and tuning principles gives wide possibilities for creating modern vision of baroque sensitivity. Probably the first recording on period instruments was 1965 performance of Concentus musicus Wien, and two connected choirs: Chorus Viennensis and Wiener Sängerknaben lead by choir master Hans Gillesberger. Conductor of this rendition was Nikolaus Harnoncourt, great artist and author of seminal books about musical aesthetics. First in the series of his texts was published in 1983 groundbreaking Musik als Klangrede: Wege zu einem neuen Musikverständnis, translated in next decade to many languages. A must read for any who wants to know and understand language of musical discourse.
   The Harnoncourt’s recording of Johannes-Passion was reissued several times in the seventies and eighties, becoming progressively one of the best known renditions of this work. Almost 50 years later, it is still great piece of art and document of moderately radical attitude to Bach’s music in sixties. It shows early stage of restoring the baroque music original sound. Nikolaus Harnoncourt with Concentus musicus Wien created different intellectual attitude and listener sensitivity opposite to previous performings. Closer to natural tune with pure, non-tempered intervals, for romantic long phrasing accustomed ears it sounded rough and only after the years listeners were able to notice how soft and vibrant these phrases are. Kurt Equiluz as Evangelist and Max van Egmond as Jesus are featuring soloists, some solo voices came from chorus members, just the same way Bach did with members of Tomanerchor. Organ parties have been played by Gustav Leonhardt and Herbert Tachezi – both great Bach interpreters on their own. On viola da gamba conductor played himself. The list of phenomenal musicians is long but it’s normal. Great musicians are always main power of any performance. Bach’s music demands the best, but effect is unforgettable.

Harnoncourt and Leonhardt conduct Bach’s Osterkantaten

There are no doubts Johann Sebastian Bach was greatest composer of European music ever known. Building his output almost exclusively on demand, he made synthesis of all genres and techniques used before. Only one form of music was beyond his reach. He never received an order for dramma per musica. And in 17th and early 18th century works, especially operas were composed only on request. Nevertheless Bach shifted his operatic ambitions into his oratorios and cantata works, carrying dramatic action with pure musical agents. Using only church music resources he created highly legible and clear language based on musical rhetorical means and measures strengthening the emotional expression.

Since his music was rediscovered in romantic era, Johann Sebastian Bach for more than a century was the composer who was increasingly recognized as genius who made the formal synthesis of all achievements of the previous music. In 1985 many record labels seized the opportunity of 300 anniversary of the birth of the great cantor from St. Thomas church in Leipzig and made special editions of his works. One of panoramic projects for Bach’s birthday celebration was Teldec Special Edition 1985 „300 Jahre J. S. Bach”. The fifth volume of the series was double album with set of five cantatas for Easter – numbers 4, 6, 31, 66 and 134 in Schmieder’s Bach Werke Verzeichnis. As signed two great personalities, Nicolaus Harnoncourt and Gustav Leonhardt – conductors famous for performing music of the baroque period on original instruments.

Harnoncourt and Leonhardt - Bach's Easter Cantatas

Published by Teldec in Direct Metal Mastering technology album is mostly some kind of collection of older recordings from seventies. There is one newly recorded Cantata 134. Double album is divided between two conductors. First LP featuring Gustav Leonhardt conducting instrumental group Leonhardt-Consort, choirs Collegium Vocale working under direction of Philippe Herreweghe and Knabenchor Hannover leaded by Heinz Hennig includes two cantatas BWV 66 and 134. Second LP contains three cantatas BWV 4, 6 and 31 conducted by Nicolaus Harnoncourt with baroque orchestra Concentus musicus Wien, choirs Wiener Sängerknaben and Chorus Vienensis working under direction of Hans Gillesberger. The core group of soloists is mutual for both records – Paul Esswood (alt), Kurt Equiluz (tenor) and Max van Egmond (bass). In Cantata BWV 134 this group was augmented by soloist of Knabenchor Hannover Sebastian Hennig (sopran) and René Jacobs (alt). The same happened in Cantata BWV 31 with soloists of Wiener Sängerknaben and Siegmund Nimsgern (bass). Beautiful, perfectly tuned up voices, forced in timbre and pitch and totally new sound of baroque music.

This recordings were a part of quiet revolution in art of performing the old music. The top indication of new style was use of original instruments tuned in one of original tempering systems. But this was only surface of deeper changes. When whole sound and metric system has changed, ideas of reading and constructing the work need to be redefining. This is why conductors were the most important artists in these recording sessions. Of course there is always a personal imprint in such complex work as cantata. And obviously these conductors and bands are different. Leonhardt aims to the vision of ancient, raw, so much emotionally clear as sometimes rude musical seting of Bach’s work. Harnoncourt creates equilibrium of historical aesthetics and contemporary sensitivity. While Leonhardt goes towards reconstruction of historical music, Harnoncourt builds more readable parallel of old music for today’s listener. Both represent highest level of musical artistry due to the nature of composers creativity. Different personalities and one ideology to make old music alive, sounding the way it sounded 300 years before and agitate as strongly as it was in Bach’s in early 18th century.