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E . T. A. Hoffmann: Missa; Miserere / Rupert Huber, Wdr Symphony Orchestra Cologne
E. T. A. HOFFMANN Mass in d, AV 18. Miserere in b?, AV 42 ⹠Rupert Huber, cond; Sibylla Rubens, Jutta Böhnert (sop); Rebecca Martin (mez); Thomas Cooley (ten); York Felix Speer (bs); WDR Radio Ch; WDR SO ⹠CPO 777832 (62:01 Text and Translation)
Butcher, baker, candlestick maker? Well, not exactly, but it wouldnât be off the mark to call E. T. A. Hoffmann (1776â1822) a polymath, for he was one of Germanyâs greatest early Romantic writers of fantasy fiction and horror tales, a lawyer and a jurist, a draftsman and a caricaturist, and a music critic and serious writer on the art of music and its aesthetics. And, oh yes, by the way, did I mention that in his spare time he was a composer? His output includes a symphony, several stage works, a handful of piano sonatas, a piano trio, a harp quintet, and of course, the concerted choral-orchestral Mass and Miserere on this disc.
Hoffmannâs literary works are commonly cited as the inspiration for Schumannâs Kreisleriana and Offenbachâs The Tales of Hoffmann, but less often noted is that Hoffmannâs novella The Nutcracker and the Mouse King was the basis for Tchaikovskyâs Nutcracker, and that LĂ©o Delibesâs ballet CoppĂ©lia is also based on stories by Hoffmann.
Hoffmannâs literary works had more of an influence on 19th-century composers and the Romantic movement than his musical compositions did, for his abilities as a composer were judged to be more modest than his talent for the written word. Add to that his relatively small output, and itâs hardly surprising that thereâs not a lot of E. T. A. Hoffmannâs music on disc. In light of this, whatâs perhaps surprising is that this is at least the third recording of the Miserere Iâm aware of. A performance on Koch-Schwann/Music Sacra with a different conductor and cast of vocal soloists, but the same chorus and, I believe, the same orchestra was reviewed by David Johnson in 12:4. And yet another recording, also on Koch Schwann, but this time with an entirely different cast of singers, players, and conductorâRolf Beck, leading the Southwest German Vocal Ensemble and the Concerto Bambergâwas released in 1997, 10 years later.
Johnson was mightily impressed by the Miserere, calling it âa work of genuine, even astonishing power and beauty,â an assessment with which I wholly concur. The piece wasnât published in Hoffmannâs lifetime, and the exact date of composition isnât given. It can be deduced, however, that Hoffmann had to have completed it towards the end of 1806 or the beginning of 1807, for the work was to have been performed at the ceremonies earlier in 1806 when Archduke Ferdinand of Austria became the Grand Duke of WĂŒrzburg, but the score wasnât ready in time. It didnât receive its first performance until Good Friday, 1809.
Itâs important to keep in mind when listening to this masterful piece of choral/orchestral writing that its date of composition coincides with that of Beethovenâs C-Major Mass, op. 86. Yet if I had to make a comparison to Hoffmannâs Miserere, it wouldnât be to Beethovenâs chronologically contemporary Mass, but to a work of 17 or so years earlier, Mozartâs Requiem. Whether Hoffmann was consciously imitating the musical style of that work or not, itâs impossible to say, but the similarities are striking.
Listen to the sighs in the strings just seconds into the opening movement, and tell me you donât expect to hear the mournful entry of the basset horns. Or tell me there isnât a resemblance between the Miserereâs âEcce enim in veritatemâ and the Offertorium of the Requiem in the SĂŒssmayer completion.
Understand that in no way am I diminishing Hoffmannâs effort. His Miserere is a gorgeous work, and thereâs much in it that postdates Mozart stylistically, specifically the vocal solos, which tend to be more ornate and less liturgical sounding than what Mozart would have considered proper for a sacred setting of such a solemn text, and also in the more symphonic scoring and treatment of the orchestral parts. But as noted by Johnson, Hoffmann additionally takes great pains to fully demonstrate his contrapuntal skills, composing âgrand choral double fugues that Bach, himself, could have found no fault with.â
However you hear Hoffmannâs Miserereâwhether as an echo of Mozart, a sympathetic vibration with Beethoven, or a precursor to Verdiâit doesnât matter, as long as you hear it, because itâs a stunning work, which really ought to spark a reassessment of E. T. A. Hoffmannâs output in general.
The Mass in D Minor is a little earlier than the Miserere, dating from between 1803 and 1805, but itâs composed on an equally grand scale. The solemn introductory measures followed by a running fugue is reminiscent of the type of Baroque overture one hears at the beginning of Handelâs Messiah, and simultaneously anticipatory of the overture to Mendelssohnâs Elijah.
As in the Miserere, Mozart looms large over major portions of the Mass. Listen, for example, to the Kyrie, which once again reverberates with recollections of Mozartâs Requiem. But now Haydn takes a bow in the joyful Gloria. Yet through it all, a new Romantic spirit infuses Hoffmannâs work. Itâs not as daring as Beethovenâs adventures of the same timeframe, but then whose were?
One thing that deserves some criticism, in my opinion, is Hoffmannâs over-reliance on fugue. At first, one marvels at his aptitude for counterpoint, but when a fugue appears in practically every movement, not only does one begin to wonder if Hoffmann isnât short on arrows in his quiver, but the recurring fugal textures begin to become a bit tiresome. Remember Saint-SaĂ«nsâs dictum: âA fugue is a piece where the voices come in and the audience goes out one at a time.â
Koch-Schwann seems to have taken more than a passing interest in E. T. A. Hoffmann back in the 1990s, for in addition to the above-cited recordings of the Miserere, the label also released a recording of this Mass in 1999, featuring the chorus and orchestra of the Capella Cracoviensis, led by Roland Bader. Unfortunately, I havenât heard that one either, so I have no basis for comparing different versions of the works on this disc. CPO, however, rarely disappoints in its releases, and the soloists, chorus, and orchestra heard in these performances sound secure in execution and thoroughly engaged in the moment of the music. The recording, too, is excellentâopen, spacious, bright, and detailed, without any reverb to muddy the singersâ diction. Very strongly recommended.
FANFARE: Jerry Dubins
E. T. A. HOFFMANN Mass in d, AV 18. Miserere in b?, AV 42 ⹠Rupert Huber, cond; Sibylla Rubens, Jutta Böhnert (sop); Rebecca Martin (mez); Thomas Cooley (ten); York Felix Speer (bs); WDR Radio Ch; WDR SO ⹠CPO 777832 (62:01 Text and Translation)
Butcher, baker, candlestick maker? Well, not exactly, but it wouldnât be off the mark to call E. T. A. Hoffmann (1776â1822) a polymath, for he was one of Germanyâs greatest early Romantic writers of fantasy fiction and horror tales, a lawyer and a jurist, a draftsman and a caricaturist, and a music critic and serious writer on the art of music and its aesthetics. And, oh yes, by the way, did I mention that in his spare time he was a composer? His output includes a symphony, several stage works, a handful of piano sonatas, a piano trio, a harp quintet, and of course, the concerted choral-orchestral Mass and Miserere on this disc.
Hoffmannâs literary works are commonly cited as the inspiration for Schumannâs Kreisleriana and Offenbachâs The Tales of Hoffmann, but less often noted is that Hoffmannâs novella The Nutcracker and the Mouse King was the basis for Tchaikovskyâs Nutcracker, and that LĂ©o Delibesâs ballet CoppĂ©lia is also based on stories by Hoffmann.
Hoffmannâs literary works had more of an influence on 19th-century composers and the Romantic movement than his musical compositions did, for his abilities as a composer were judged to be more modest than his talent for the written word. Add to that his relatively small output, and itâs hardly surprising that thereâs not a lot of E. T. A. Hoffmannâs music on disc. In light of this, whatâs perhaps surprising is that this is at least the third recording of the Miserere Iâm aware of. A performance on Koch-Schwann/Music Sacra with a different conductor and cast of vocal soloists, but the same chorus and, I believe, the same orchestra was reviewed by David Johnson in 12:4. And yet another recording, also on Koch Schwann, but this time with an entirely different cast of singers, players, and conductorâRolf Beck, leading the Southwest German Vocal Ensemble and the Concerto Bambergâwas released in 1997, 10 years later.
Johnson was mightily impressed by the Miserere, calling it âa work of genuine, even astonishing power and beauty,â an assessment with which I wholly concur. The piece wasnât published in Hoffmannâs lifetime, and the exact date of composition isnât given. It can be deduced, however, that Hoffmann had to have completed it towards the end of 1806 or the beginning of 1807, for the work was to have been performed at the ceremonies earlier in 1806 when Archduke Ferdinand of Austria became the Grand Duke of WĂŒrzburg, but the score wasnât ready in time. It didnât receive its first performance until Good Friday, 1809.
Itâs important to keep in mind when listening to this masterful piece of choral/orchestral writing that its date of composition coincides with that of Beethovenâs C-Major Mass, op. 86. Yet if I had to make a comparison to Hoffmannâs Miserere, it wouldnât be to Beethovenâs chronologically contemporary Mass, but to a work of 17 or so years earlier, Mozartâs Requiem. Whether Hoffmann was consciously imitating the musical style of that work or not, itâs impossible to say, but the similarities are striking.
Listen to the sighs in the strings just seconds into the opening movement, and tell me you donât expect to hear the mournful entry of the basset horns. Or tell me there isnât a resemblance between the Miserereâs âEcce enim in veritatemâ and the Offertorium of the Requiem in the SĂŒssmayer completion.
Understand that in no way am I diminishing Hoffmannâs effort. His Miserere is a gorgeous work, and thereâs much in it that postdates Mozart stylistically, specifically the vocal solos, which tend to be more ornate and less liturgical sounding than what Mozart would have considered proper for a sacred setting of such a solemn text, and also in the more symphonic scoring and treatment of the orchestral parts. But as noted by Johnson, Hoffmann additionally takes great pains to fully demonstrate his contrapuntal skills, composing âgrand choral double fugues that Bach, himself, could have found no fault with.â
However you hear Hoffmannâs Miserereâwhether as an echo of Mozart, a sympathetic vibration with Beethoven, or a precursor to Verdiâit doesnât matter, as long as you hear it, because itâs a stunning work, which really ought to spark a reassessment of E. T. A. Hoffmannâs output in general.
The Mass in D Minor is a little earlier than the Miserere, dating from between 1803 and 1805, but itâs composed on an equally grand scale. The solemn introductory measures followed by a running fugue is reminiscent of the type of Baroque overture one hears at the beginning of Handelâs Messiah, and simultaneously anticipatory of the overture to Mendelssohnâs Elijah.
As in the Miserere, Mozart looms large over major portions of the Mass. Listen, for example, to the Kyrie, which once again reverberates with recollections of Mozartâs Requiem. But now Haydn takes a bow in the joyful Gloria. Yet through it all, a new Romantic spirit infuses Hoffmannâs work. Itâs not as daring as Beethovenâs adventures of the same timeframe, but then whose were?
One thing that deserves some criticism, in my opinion, is Hoffmannâs over-reliance on fugue. At first, one marvels at his aptitude for counterpoint, but when a fugue appears in practically every movement, not only does one begin to wonder if Hoffmann isnât short on arrows in his quiver, but the recurring fugal textures begin to become a bit tiresome. Remember Saint-SaĂ«nsâs dictum: âA fugue is a piece where the voices come in and the audience goes out one at a time.â
Koch-Schwann seems to have taken more than a passing interest in E. T. A. Hoffmann back in the 1990s, for in addition to the above-cited recordings of the Miserere, the label also released a recording of this Mass in 1999, featuring the chorus and orchestra of the Capella Cracoviensis, led by Roland Bader. Unfortunately, I havenât heard that one either, so I have no basis for comparing different versions of the works on this disc. CPO, however, rarely disappoints in its releases, and the soloists, chorus, and orchestra heard in these performances sound secure in execution and thoroughly engaged in the moment of the music. The recording, too, is excellentâopen, spacious, bright, and detailed, without any reverb to muddy the singersâ diction. Very strongly recommended.
FANFARE: Jerry Dubins
$18.99
E . T. A. Hoffmann: Missa; Miserere / Rupert Huber, Wdr Symphony Orchestra Cologneâ
$18.99
Description
E. T. A. HOFFMANN Mass in d, AV 18. Miserere in b?, AV 42 ⹠Rupert Huber, cond; Sibylla Rubens, Jutta Böhnert (sop); Rebecca Martin (mez); Thomas Cooley (ten); York Felix Speer (bs); WDR Radio Ch; WDR SO ⹠CPO 777832 (62:01 Text and Translation)
Butcher, baker, candlestick maker? Well, not exactly, but it wouldnât be off the mark to call E. T. A. Hoffmann (1776â1822) a polymath, for he was one of Germanyâs greatest early Romantic writers of fantasy fiction and horror tales, a lawyer and a jurist, a draftsman and a caricaturist, and a music critic and serious writer on the art of music and its aesthetics. And, oh yes, by the way, did I mention that in his spare time he was a composer? His output includes a symphony, several stage works, a handful of piano sonatas, a piano trio, a harp quintet, and of course, the concerted choral-orchestral Mass and Miserere on this disc.
Hoffmannâs literary works are commonly cited as the inspiration for Schumannâs Kreisleriana and Offenbachâs The Tales of Hoffmann, but less often noted is that Hoffmannâs novella The Nutcracker and the Mouse King was the basis for Tchaikovskyâs Nutcracker, and that LĂ©o Delibesâs ballet CoppĂ©lia is also based on stories by Hoffmann.
Hoffmannâs literary works had more of an influence on 19th-century composers and the Romantic movement than his musical compositions did, for his abilities as a composer were judged to be more modest than his talent for the written word. Add to that his relatively small output, and itâs hardly surprising that thereâs not a lot of E. T. A. Hoffmannâs music on disc. In light of this, whatâs perhaps surprising is that this is at least the third recording of the Miserere Iâm aware of. A performance on Koch-Schwann/Music Sacra with a different conductor and cast of vocal soloists, but the same chorus and, I believe, the same orchestra was reviewed by David Johnson in 12:4. And yet another recording, also on Koch Schwann, but this time with an entirely different cast of singers, players, and conductorâRolf Beck, leading the Southwest German Vocal Ensemble and the Concerto Bambergâwas released in 1997, 10 years later.
Johnson was mightily impressed by the Miserere, calling it âa work of genuine, even astonishing power and beauty,â an assessment with which I wholly concur. The piece wasnât published in Hoffmannâs lifetime, and the exact date of composition isnât given. It can be deduced, however, that Hoffmann had to have completed it towards the end of 1806 or the beginning of 1807, for the work was to have been performed at the ceremonies earlier in 1806 when Archduke Ferdinand of Austria became the Grand Duke of WĂŒrzburg, but the score wasnât ready in time. It didnât receive its first performance until Good Friday, 1809.
Itâs important to keep in mind when listening to this masterful piece of choral/orchestral writing that its date of composition coincides with that of Beethovenâs C-Major Mass, op. 86. Yet if I had to make a comparison to Hoffmannâs Miserere, it wouldnât be to Beethovenâs chronologically contemporary Mass, but to a work of 17 or so years earlier, Mozartâs Requiem. Whether Hoffmann was consciously imitating the musical style of that work or not, itâs impossible to say, but the similarities are striking.
Listen to the sighs in the strings just seconds into the opening movement, and tell me you donât expect to hear the mournful entry of the basset horns. Or tell me there isnât a resemblance between the Miserereâs âEcce enim in veritatemâ and the Offertorium of the Requiem in the SĂŒssmayer completion.
Understand that in no way am I diminishing Hoffmannâs effort. His Miserere is a gorgeous work, and thereâs much in it that postdates Mozart stylistically, specifically the vocal solos, which tend to be more ornate and less liturgical sounding than what Mozart would have considered proper for a sacred setting of such a solemn text, and also in the more symphonic scoring and treatment of the orchestral parts. But as noted by Johnson, Hoffmann additionally takes great pains to fully demonstrate his contrapuntal skills, composing âgrand choral double fugues that Bach, himself, could have found no fault with.â
However you hear Hoffmannâs Miserereâwhether as an echo of Mozart, a sympathetic vibration with Beethoven, or a precursor to Verdiâit doesnât matter, as long as you hear it, because itâs a stunning work, which really ought to spark a reassessment of E. T. A. Hoffmannâs output in general.
The Mass in D Minor is a little earlier than the Miserere, dating from between 1803 and 1805, but itâs composed on an equally grand scale. The solemn introductory measures followed by a running fugue is reminiscent of the type of Baroque overture one hears at the beginning of Handelâs Messiah, and simultaneously anticipatory of the overture to Mendelssohnâs Elijah.
As in the Miserere, Mozart looms large over major portions of the Mass. Listen, for example, to the Kyrie, which once again reverberates with recollections of Mozartâs Requiem. But now Haydn takes a bow in the joyful Gloria. Yet through it all, a new Romantic spirit infuses Hoffmannâs work. Itâs not as daring as Beethovenâs adventures of the same timeframe, but then whose were?
One thing that deserves some criticism, in my opinion, is Hoffmannâs over-reliance on fugue. At first, one marvels at his aptitude for counterpoint, but when a fugue appears in practically every movement, not only does one begin to wonder if Hoffmann isnât short on arrows in his quiver, but the recurring fugal textures begin to become a bit tiresome. Remember Saint-SaĂ«nsâs dictum: âA fugue is a piece where the voices come in and the audience goes out one at a time.â
Koch-Schwann seems to have taken more than a passing interest in E. T. A. Hoffmann back in the 1990s, for in addition to the above-cited recordings of the Miserere, the label also released a recording of this Mass in 1999, featuring the chorus and orchestra of the Capella Cracoviensis, led by Roland Bader. Unfortunately, I havenât heard that one either, so I have no basis for comparing different versions of the works on this disc. CPO, however, rarely disappoints in its releases, and the soloists, chorus, and orchestra heard in these performances sound secure in execution and thoroughly engaged in the moment of the music. The recording, too, is excellentâopen, spacious, bright, and detailed, without any reverb to muddy the singersâ diction. Very strongly recommended.
FANFARE: Jerry Dubins
