Music of spiritual edification, music of mystical inspiration -almost an exercise in contemplation or adoration- that, following the words that the composer himself writes on the cover of the manuscript of the score, must be sung with the humblest devotion, wholeheartedly. ("humble Totius Cordis Devotione decantata"). In 1680 Buxtehude composes the cycle entitled Membra Jesu nostri, when Bach was not yet born. It was still almost 45 years before he wrote the first of two of his known passions, the St. John Passion. But with the composition of that music sheet, Buxtehude marks a before and after in the repertoire of music related to the Passion of Christ.

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Buxtehude, D.: Organ Music

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Friedhelm Flamme's series featuring organ works of the Northern German Baroque now finds it's logical continuation with Dietrich Buxtehude, the leading master in the discipline of Northern German organ artistry. In order to underscore his special interpretive style, the result of his many decades of occupation with practically the entire Northern German repertoire, Flamme has selected the Treutmann organ in the Grauhof Monastery near Goslar, an instrument that has been preserved largely in it's original form and conveys Buxtehude's innovative, visionary musical artistry in a very different way than the well-known Schnitger organs in Northern Germany. Each album is designed in the manner of an exciting concert program revealing two things: first, the variety of Buxtehude's compositions, which include free pieces and chorale settings to be executed on the manuals or with virtuosic pedal playing and occur in styles ranging from nimble canzonettas and basso ostinato forms filled with gravity to strict textures in �erudite counterpoint�; second, the vast tonal resources of the Treutmann organ, both in the sense of varietas and in view of the line of suspense traced by the musical keys. It is thus that Vol. 1 forms the beginning with magnificent works by the most important Baroque master of organ artistry prior to Johann Sebastian Bach and along with him. Owing to it's temperament, the Treutmann organ enables the realization of the stylistically correct rendering of pieces in remote keys, something that would have been impossible on mean-tone instruments.

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My review of volume 1 of this series appeared in Fanfare 26:6, at which time I praised the performances, finding them to be of “the highest quality.” This second generously timed issue follows a similar format in presenting a group of cantatas, or more accurately sacred concertos, in the chamber form intended by the composer. There is a greater emphasis this time on solo works, no fewer than four falling into that category, with the lion’s share going to tenor Charles Daniels. BuxWV 92 is also included on a Stylus Phantasticus disc, but Daniels’s approach is markedly different to that of Victor Torres, his slower tempo emphasizing the heaviness of the soul as it seeks refreshment rather than the exultation of the climax. Both BuxWV 71 and BuxWV 37 are also scored for solo tenor, the first being a dignified setting of the familiar words from the opening verses of Psalm 103, Lobe den Herrn (“Praise the Lord”), the ritornello Sonata of which is particularly lavishly scored in six parts (three violins, two violas, and violone with continuo). BuxWV 37 is a version of the Nunc Dimittis, Buxtehude treating the aged Simeon’s words not as a valediction, but a joyous revelation culminating in gigue-like dance. In all three works, Daniels’s distinctive high tenor is deployed with rare musical intelligence and insight.

Dixit Dominus is a rather more interesting work than Stephen Rose’s rather dismissive mention in the notes might suggest. Scored for solo soprano (Emma Kirkby singing with her customary command of technique) and a five-part string ensemble, it is notable for the unusual degree of rhetorical Affekt Buxtehude conjures up from the familiar text of the Vespers psalm, which is simply set in arioso style with the voice largely supported by organ continuo, the soloist’s lines being echoed or commented upon by the strings. Of the ensemble works, the most striking is perhaps An filius non est Dei, a Passion-tide work scored for alto, tenor, and bass, its reflective character underlined by the richly-hued accompaniment for two gambas and violone. The performance is one of the highlights of the disc, with Michael Chance, Daniels, and Peter Harvey combining to form a splendidly integrated trio that extracts full expressive value from the poignant text. Chance indeed sounds happier here than he does with the low-lying tessitura of BuxWV 77, which he negotiated with greater assurance on Ton Koopman’s legendary Erato set (ECD 75374) of cantatas in 1987.

As with the earlier disc, I would have preferred a rather less smooth tone from the Purcell Quartet’s strings, but there is little other cause for complaint. This is a further indispensable addition to a storehouse of inexhaustible riches that lay virtually untouched until Koopman’s pioneering recording, which really should be restored to the catalog.

FANFARE: Brian Robins

Emma Kirkby, internationally renowned for her interpretations of early music, joins Canadian soprano Suzie LeBlanc, Peter Harvey, Clare Salaman, and The Purcell Quartet in this disc of sacred music by Buxtehude. This is the only available reecording of many of the works on this disc. Recorded in: St Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, London 14-16 February 2002 Producer(s) Rachel Smith Sound Engineer(s) Jonathan Cooper Michael Common

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