Handel's Jeptha a Modern Triumph

 

Most people I know who say they "love Handel," really mean "I love Messiah."  And that translates to "I love the choruses of "Messiah." And if you drill down further, "I love the 'Hallejuliah Chorus' from Messiah." 

And that's frustrating to me. Because Handel wrote more than one oratorio, and all have thrilling choruses. And many of them have -- like "Messiah" -- incredibly beautiful arias. 

I always encourage those "Handel lovers" to explore further. Who wouldn't want to hear more of the music they love? I'll be adding this recording of "Jeptha" to my recommendation list. This live performance has an immediacy and energy about it I really like.

This was Handel's final oratorio, completed in 1751. As presented in the Bible, it's a problematic story. The Israelites ask Jeptha to lead them against the pagan Ammonites. If he succeeds, he'll become ruler of Israel. Jeptha asks for God's help. He promises to sacrifice whatever first greets him upon his return home. And not just sacrifice but make a burnt offering to God. 

The Ammonites are defeated with divine help. And Jeptha's daughter is the first to greet her victorious father. He's devastated, but his daughter persuades him to keep his word. 

He grants her two months to mourn in the hills with her friends. Then she returns, and the Bible vaguely says "he did to her as he had vowed." Yikes!

Over the centuries the story's been tweaked somewhat. Handel's libretto, written by Thomas Morell eliminates the fatal ending.  The daughter, now named Iphis, gets a back story. Hamor (sung by a countertenor) is in love with Iphis. When Iphis greets Jeptha, she invokes the vow. 

Iphis submits to be sacrificed. But at the last minute -- as in the story of Abraham and Issac -- an angel appears. Iphis is spared to dedicate her life to God, but she can never marry. Hamor is heartbroken, though glad Iphis lives.

This new version allows for a mostly happy ending sung by the principal characters. And it ensures a rousing choral finale, as only Handel can write them. 

Dame Jane Glover conducts from the harpsichord, as Handel would have. Under her direction, we get a performance that's both authentic and engaging. The choruses are clean and precise, letting us marvel at Handel's counterpoint. The soloists are first-rate. I particularly enjoyed countertenor Areyeh Nussbaum Cohen. His delivery was both warm and expressive. 

Lauren Snouffer, soprano, also delivers an exceptional performance. She sings with a rich, crystalline tone that conveys the full emotional weight of Iphis.

That's not to slight the other soloists. This is a solid performance through and through. The recording has a nice ambiance. The performances are close-mic'ed for clarity. But there's still enough space for smooth ensemble blends -- and to let the music breathe.

High recommended -- and not just to those who claim to "love Handel."    

George Frideric Handel: Jephtha
David Portillo, tenor; Lauren Snouffer, soprano; Clara Osowski, mezzo-soprano; Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, countertenor; Neil Davies, bass-baritone; Katelyn Lee, soprano
Music of the Baroque Chorus and Orchestra; Dame Jane Glover, conductor and harpsichord
Reference Recordings FR-755
2 CD Set

#ClassicsaDay #Strings Week 1

 There's a middle ground between large orchestras and chamber groups. That space is occupied by string orchestras. They have the full sound of an orchestra, but the uniform blend of a string quartet. The #ClassicsaDay challenge for this month is to post examples of string orchestra works. No brass, winds, or percussion allowed!

This type of ensemble originated in the early 1800s. For my posts, I've tried to alternate between Romantic and Modern Era composers. Here are my posts for the first week of #Strings.

11/03/24 Ethel Smyth: Suite in E major for String Orchestra, Op. 1a

Smyth made this arrangement from her String Quintet in E major, Op. 1. It was first published in 1884.

 

11/05/24 Jean Sibelius Six Impromptus for Strings Op. 5

These impromptus were early piano compositions. Sibelius extensively reworked them for the string orchestra and even added new material.

 

11/06/24 Edvard Grieg: Holberg Suite, Op. 40

This is one of Grieg's most popular works. He wrote it in 1884 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Scandinavian playwright Ludvig Holberg's birth.

 

11/07/24 Alexander Glazunov: Theme and Variations for String Orchestra, Op. 97

This work exists in two versions, both equally popular. It's available as a string orchestra work and as a string quartet.

 

11/08/24 Antonin Dvorak: Serenade for Strings in E minor, Op. 22

Dvorak completed this work in 1875. It was premiered the following year in Prague. The Serenade almost immediately entered the repertoire and remains one of Dvorak's most-played works today.

 

Andre Campra: Messe de Requiem and the Masters of Notre-Dame

The cathedral at Notre Dame has always been an influential center of church music. This was especially true in the late 1600s.  The Pope elevated the Bishopric of Paris in 1622. 

The now metropolitan archbishopric ruled over the other French bishoprics. This made it the center of Catholic worship in France. In the 1640s, the Notre Dame archbishop developed new liturgies and new music with it. 

This release features the music masters of Notre Dame who set those new standards. The centerpiece of the album is the Messa de Requiem by Andre Campra. Campra wrote both religious and secular music, specifically opera. 

His Messa de Requiem was written in the 1720s. The choruses are lushly harmonized, and almost operatic. Yet there's a clarity to this music I found refreshing. 

Contemporary sacred music written at Versailles is grandiose. After all, it was written to the glory of the king as well as to the glory of God. Campra's Requiem is less florid and more focused. This is music written to inspire contemplation in the vast space of Notre Dame.

The style of the other composers follows the same aesthetic. Francois Cosset and Jean Veillot were Notre Dame choir masters. They were a generation before Campra. Their harmonies seem a little simpler, while the ensemble sounds thicker. But this is still music for worship (and not of the king). 

The Ensemble Correspondaces has a beautifully crafted ensemble sound. It's warm, yet detailed. The instrumental ensemble is mostly strings, with a few wind instruments and organ. They provide understated accompaniment to the choir.

My impression of French 17th-century sacred music came from the Versailles composers.  Hearing the music created in the spiritual -- rather than the political -- center of France was enlightening, indeed.  

Andre Campra: Messe de Requiem
and the Masters of Notre-Dame, Paris
Ensemble Correspondances: Sébastien Daucé
Harmonia Mundi

Žibuoklė Martinaitytė Choral Works Uniquely Beautiful

This release was my introduction to the music of Žibuoklė Martinaitytė. This Lithuanian composer has built a following among contemporary music audiences. Martinaitytė's music is all about atmosphere. And in these vocal works, it's expressing emotion beyond words.

The opening track "Aletheia" was composed in 2022 for the Latvian Radio Choir. The shock of the Russian invasion of Ukraine inspired the work. There's no text. We hear sighs, whispers, moans, and other disquieting -- but very human -- sounds. 

Imagine Gyorgy Ligeti's "Atmosphères" crossed with the thick textures of Eric Whitacre. It's a powerful work, and one of disturbing beauty. 

Chant des Voyelles (2018), or, Incantation of Vowels is just that. Here Martinaitytė subtly shifts long, held tones. Overtones move, changing the character of the sounds in unobvious ways. The music seems suspended in time. And yet it's continually evolving and moving forward. 

Martinaitytė writes that her work "Ululations" portrays "mourning women whose men... are at war fighting and dying." The ululations of the female voices provide the motivic structure of the work. And from those sounds the choir builds in quiet intensity. 

The Blue of Distance is the earliest work on the album, dating from 2010. But it's mature Martinaitytė. The wordless chorus creates a sensuous cloud of sound. One that continually swirls about itself, creating new combinations of tones and overtones. 

The Latvian Radio Choir commissioned one of the works on this release. And their performance of "Aletheia" is nothing less than authoritative. And their singing on the other pieces even more so. This is a capella music -- no instruments to lean on. And the music continually has tones a half-step apart. Their dissonances create sonic beats that are as much of the score as the written notes. 

It takes singers of extraordinary skill to sing this music. If I was told they all had perfect pitch, I wouldn't be surprised. For Martinaitytė's music to deliver its full effect, every note must be sung perfectly. And that's what we get on this release. Four perfectly-sung performances. And they create four soundscapes of exceptional beauty. 

Žibuoklė Martinaitytė: ALETHEIA
Choral Works
Latvian Radio Choir; Sigvards Klava, conductor
Ondine ODE 1447-2

#ClassicsaDay #Divertimento Week 5

  The Classics a Day team decided to lighten up a little. Webster's Dictionary defines a divertimento as "an instrumental chamber work in several movements usually light in character." 

For October, the challenge is to post videos of divertimentos written by classical composers. 

I quickly discovered that every composer had a different idea of what "light in character" meant. The only thing any of these selections have in common is the title: divertimento. Here are my selections for the fifth and final week of the #ClassicsaDay challenge, #Divertimento.

10/28/24 Akira Yuyama: Divertimento for Marimba and Alto Saxophone

Yuyama is one of the major Japanese composers of the 20th Century. Songs and solo piano works make up a large part of his catalog. But he has written in other genres, especially chamber music.

  

10/29/24 Josef Fiala: Divertimento for Keyed Trumpet

Fiala was a Czech composer and oboist. He was also a contemporary of Beethoven. Fiala wrote concertos for a wide variety of instruments, including the then newly invented keyed trumpet.

 

10/30/24 Malcolm Arnold: Divertimento for Flute, Oboe, and Clarinet

Today he’s best remembered for his score for “Bridge over the River Kwai.” But in his lifetime, Arnold was considered one of England’s greatest and most versatile composers.

 

10/31/24 Bela Bartok: Divertimento for Orchestra

Bartok composed his divertimento in 1939 for Paul Sacher and the Basler Kammerorchester. It was his final work before emigrating to the United States.

 

11/01/24 Andres Segovia: Divertimento

Segovia was one of the greatest guitarists in the world. He wrote a vast amount of music for his instrument. Yet within his catalog is just one divertimento -- this one for two guitars.

 

Next Month: