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Bach: Christmas Oratorio / Gardiner, Mcfadden, Fink, Et Al

Bach / Mvc / Ebs / Gardiner
Release Date: 11/15/2005 
Label:  Arthaus Musik   Catalog #: 101237  
Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:  Dietrich Henschel,  Christoph Genz,  Bernarda Fink,  Claron McFadden
Conductor:  John Eliot Gardiner
Orchestra/Ensemble:  English Baroque Soloists,  Monteverdi Choir
Number of Discs: 2 
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Sound Format: PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1
Picture Format: 16:9
Menu Languages: English
Subtitle Languages: German, French, English, Japanese
Region Code: 0 worldwide
Running Time: 198 mins

R E V I E W S:

The monumental Bach cantata pilgrimage by John Eliot Gardiner and his forces during 2000 was one of the most extraordinary musical undertakings of recent years. It all started in the Herderkirche in Weimar during December 1999, when two concerts devoted to the six cantatas that make up the Christmas Oratorio were presented on the 23rd and 27th respectively. This beautiful church, with its wonderful Cranach altarpiece, made for a particularly apposite venue in Read more which to inaugurate the pilgrimage, being the place where both W. F. and C. P. E. Bach were baptized during the period of Bach’s service in Weimar (1708–1717).


In the first of the documentaries that accompany the set, Eliot Gardiner explains that he chose the Christmas Oratorio to inaugurate the pilgrimage because it shows Bach at his most infectiously joyous. It is also a work in which Gardiner has proved to excel, his 1987 Archiv audio recording having in the view of many (the present writer included) not been surpassed by any subsequent recording.


As he demonstrated throughout that memorable year in which he performed and recorded all the cantatas, Gardiner has not in any way been influenced by the new orthodoxy of performing Bach’s cantatas with a chorus of one voice to a part. He also persists with the now discredited practice of employing a harpsichord in addition to organ continuo in the arias. Yet, such is the burning conviction and obvious sincerity that informs this performance that all such considerations are largely swept aside. In so far as the chorus (here, if I counted correctly, 6–5–4–4) is concerned, it is the uncanny unanimity of attack and articulation of the Monteverdi Choir that convinces one that such relatively large forces can be successfully employed in Bach’s sacred works. One need only listen to the spine-tingling unison at the start of the opening chorus, “Jauchzet, frohlocket,” the thrilling contrapuntal entries in “Herr, wenn die stolzen,” the opening chorus of part 6, or the electrifying performance of the opening chorus of part 5 to be made aware afresh of the virtuoso quality of Gardiner’s magnificent choir. Yet, how tender, how freshly simple, they can also sound, as the chorale “Ich steh” (part 6) heartrendingly shows. Almost my only reservation about the performance also concerns an opening chorus, “Fallt mit danken” (part 4), one of the few numbers that Gardiner now takes more slowly than he did in 1987, not, in my view, to its advantage. It is worth mentioning at this point that Gardiner does make one gesture to authentic-period practice in asking his soloists to join in the choruses and chorales, a nice touch that involves them both vocally and emotionally in the performance to a far greater degree than is normally the case.


One of the reasons for the continuing superiority of the Archiv recording to its rivals is the superb line-up of soloists Gardiner assembled. Well, he’s done it again. Particularly in the case of the alto, tenor, and bass, Gardiner has come up with a team that not only equals, but also in some ways excels that remarkable earlier group. Never again did I expect to hear the exquisite alto lullaby “Schlafe, mein Liebster” (part 2), or the contemplatively lovely “Schliesse, mein Herze” (part 3) sung with such control of line, and tonal beauty as they were by Anne Sofie von Otter on the Archiv set. But now I have, and at present feel so overwhelmed by the inner peace that radiates from Bernarda Fink, both as to her singing and composure throughout the performance that I’m at a loss for further words. No less impressive are Christoph Genz and Dietrich Henschel. Genz, who sings both the Evangelist’s part and the tenor arias, performs throughout with a liquid fluency and attention to detail that leave the listener hanging on his every word, particularly those of the Evangelist, appropriately delivered from the pulpit without any visible sign of a score. He also copes splendidly with the cruel, quasi-instrumental coloratura of “Ich will nur” (part 4). Henschel is utterly commanding in the bass part, singing with a commitment, attention to diction and rhetorical power that excel even Olav Bär’s outstanding performance in the 1987 recording. If Claron McFaddon cannot quite live with such exulted company, hers is by any standard a fine performance, marred only by the slight metallic edge that has always prevented my wholehearted admiration of her singing.


The plaudits handed out to Gardiner’s chorus can be equally extended to the English Baroque Soloists, the precision and finesse of who’s playing would justify detailed comment. Space dictates that I must restrict myself to drawing attention to the many superb obbligato contributions made by the orchestra’s members. The sound and visual direction are both fine, the latter giving us a wide variety of shots of the performers, with occasional glimpses of the building, and nativity scenes. Finally, a brief word on the two substantial documentaries included in the set, both originally shown on BBC TV. The more interesting features Eliot Gardiner visiting some of the places in Saxony and Thuringia associated with Bach, and incorporates his outspokenly deprecating comments on the then-in-progress restoration of the Thomaskirche in Leipzig. Particularly moving is the visit made to the near-forgotten village church of Pomssen, a tiny gem untouched by history or restoration. The other film is concerned specifically with Eliot Gardiner’s introduction to the Christmas Oratorio , a certain element of faux-naiveté doubtless explained by the fact that it was designed for a general TV audience.


Two viewings of this DVD recording over the Christmas period have brought me unalloyed and uplifting joy, an elevating spiritual experience that will surely be shared by anyone who views and hears this performance, whatever their religion or lack of one. Fervently recommended.


FANFARE: Brian Robins
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Works on This Recording

1. Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performer:  Dietrich Henschel (Bass Baritone), Christoph Genz (Tenor), Bernarda Fink (Mezzo Soprano),
Claron McFadden (Soprano)
Conductor:  John Eliot Gardiner
Orchestra/Ensemble:  English Baroque Soloists,  Monteverdi Choir
Period: Baroque 
Written: 1734-1735; Leipzig, Germany 
 Date of Recording: 1999 
Venue:  Herderkirche, Weimar 
Language: German 

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