Most seasonal CDs probably
end up as coasters or gathering dust
on a shelf somewhere but this is one
festive disc that can be played all
year round. As the cover points out
it’s a reconstructed Lutheran Christmas
service ‘as it might have been celebrated
around 1620’ and it includes contributions
from Samuel Scheidt (1587-1654) and
Johann Hermann Schein (1586-1630). But
it was the prolific and talented Praetorius
(born Michael Schulze) who single-handedly
produced much of the Lutheran church
music heard in northern Germany in the
early 17th century.
What Paul McCreesh
has achieved here is remarkable. He
chose Roskilde Cathedral because it
provides the ideal setting for this
collection of hymns (chorales) and polychoral
motets; the choirs and instrumental
groups are arrayed on the ground floor
and galleries, the congregation gathered
in the nave. This attention to detail
pays off handsomely, producing a realistic
and airy soundstage that is as deep
as it is wide. Couple this with committed
playing and singing and the result is
nothing short of revelatory.
The opening Processional:
‘Christum wir sollen loben schon’ is
based on a melody by Luther himself,
and begins with the distant treble of
Anders Engberg-Pedersen, soon joined
by the choir. It sounds magical, as
if heard from across the fields on a
still and frosty Christmas morn. The
unaccompanied choir is rich but not
too resonant and the Introit: ‘Puer
natus in Bethlehem’ brings in the congregation
– very much at the centre of the Lutheran
service – as well. It is gravely beautiful
music and the transition from one segment
of the mass to the next appears seamless,
a striking characteristic of this performance
as a whole.
The soloists are very
well recorded and the cathedral organ
(apparently close to the sound Praetorius
would have known) is powerfully felt
yet always discreetly played. Surprising,
perhaps, is the animation – even jollity
– that this music conveys; it’s more
bright-eyed and apple-cheeked than one
might expect from this Reformed liturgy.
Indeed, the congregation and organ really
raise Roskilde’s vaulted roof with their
lusty singing.
As with the Introit
the Kyrie and Gloria are taken from
Praetorius’s Polyhymnia caduceatrix
& Panegyrica of 1619; they mark
a change of emphasis, employing just
the instrumentalists, organ and soloists.
Austere it may seem but McCreesh ensures
the rhythms are always supple, the balance
between players and singers carefully
judged. And for those sceptical of period
performance this disc demonstrates –
in abundance – just how revealing such
an approach can be when it comes to
detail, rhythm and overall lucidity,
yet without sacrificing warmth and body
(just listen to the full-blooded ‘Amen’
that ends the Gloria).
The Collect and Epistle
are intoned from afar with responses
from the organ and choir. It’s at moments
like these that the spatial effects
McCreesh strives for are most clearly
audible. There is just the right amount
of resonance to the voice, echoing throughout
the vaulted space, and in the organ
prelude that follows Timothy Roberts
adds real splendour and weight to the
service without turning his brief solo
into a showpiece.
The Gradual hymn ’Vom
himmel hoch da komm ich her’ has a robust
contribution from baritone Donald Greig
and some warm, full-bodied singing from
the congregation. What a palpable sense
of celebration there is at this point,
the organ underpinning it all with such
authority.
After the intoned Gospel
comes Scheidt’s Credo ‘Wir glauben all
an einen Gott’, again based on a melody
by Luther. As the very core of the mass
the Credo is sung with a deep sense
of devotion, the largely unaccompanied
prayer rising and filling every last
corner of the cathedral. After the gentle
organ prelude the congregation and organ
launch into the rousing Pulpit hymn
‘Quem pastores laudavere’. As before
there is a highly effective antiphonal
‘dialogue’ between the distant trebles
and those gathered in the nave.
Johannes Hermann Schein’s
Sonata: Padouana a 5 for cornetts, sackbuts
and organ has a strange, ethereal quality,
no doubt heightened by the distinctive
timbres of these instruments playing
together. It is reflective, a perfect
precursor to the intoned Lord’s Prayer
and Words of Institution that follow.
Again one is struck by how expertly
McCreesh weaves these disparate threads
into the overall tapestry.
The Sanctus motet:
‘Jesaja dem Propheten das geschah’,
culled from the Polyhymnia caduceatrix,
has some bright, crystal-clear singing
from the sopranos in particular, aided
and abetted by the flutes, recorders
and, for emphasis, that magisterial
organ. The motet ends in a great panoply
of sound from all the assembled forces.
Quite a contrast compared with the ensuing
organ prelude and Communion motets:
‘Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern’
and .Uns ist ein Kindlein geborn’, which
are on a much smaller, more intimate
scale. Sarah Pendlebury’s still, pure
soprano is ideal in the serene second
motet, the harp adding an aura of warmth
to both singer and choir.
The intoned Post-Communion:
‘Der Herr sei mit euch’ and the Benediction:
‘Der Herr segne dich und behüte
dich’ – the latter with a sustained
and radiant ‘Amen’ for choir over organ
– signals the service is near its end.
The congregation joins all the various
forces for the ebullient final hymn
‘Puer nobis nascitur’ and the organ
voluntary – with its appropriate bell-like
figures – heralds the start of the Recessional:
‘In dulci jubilo’. This is the musical
high point of this magnificent performance,
the raised trumpets and thunder of drums
bringing a distinctly martial air to
the proceedings. The sopranos and organ
add to the jubilant mood and the mass
ends in a blaze of affirmation.
This is a disc that
certainly won’t be filed away
once the festivities are over. Indeed,
it’s one of those rare recordings in
which one seems to be eavesdropping
on a live occasion, such is the warmth
and spontaneity of the music making.
The engineers must be commended for
ensuring it all sounds so natural in
terms of balance and blend; ditto Paul
McCreesh and Robin A. Leaver, whose
scholarly notes put the music into its
historical context.
A refreshing antidote
to all those unimaginative festive compilations,
this beautifully presented disc demands
your attention this Christmas. And at
just £6-£7 it’s not just a cracker it’s
also a steal.
Dan Morgan
Gabrieli Consort and Players/Paul McCreesh
