Schutz: Auferstehungshistorie / Rademann, Kunath, Poplutz, Rumpf, Samann

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SCHÜTZ Auferstehungshistoire, SWV 501. Ich weiß, dass mein Erlöser lebet, SWV 457. Christ ist erstanden, SWV 470. Cantante Domino canticum novum, SWV 463. Surrexit pastor bonus, SWV50. Es gingen zweene Menschen hinauf, SWV 444 Hans-Christoph Rademann, cond; 1Gerlinde Sämann (Mary Magdalene); 1Georg Poplutz (Evangelist); 1Felix Rumpf (Jesus); Dresden C Ch; Sirius Viols; Instrumenta Musica CARUS 83.256 (2 CDs: 60: 48 Text and Translation)

As J. F. Weber just contributed an excellent review of this release to these pages in 37:6, I will confine myself to a few supplemental remarks concerning points he did not cover. One of Schütz’s earlier compositions, the Auferstehungshistorie, is remarkably rich in compositional conception. The text, a conflation from the four Gospel narratives, is by Johannes Bugenhagen (1485–1558), a theological ally of Martin Luther. The three main roles are those of the Evangelist, Jesus, and Mary Magdalene. Of these, however, only that of the Evangelist as narrator is assigned to a solo voice; the other two (and also the brief role of the young man in the sepulcher) are given to two voices singing in harmony. Numerous other comprimario roles—the three women, the two angels at the tomb, the council of the chief priests, and (with a significant exception of one solo question posed by Cleopas) the two disciples on the road to Emmaus—are likewise doubled or tripled for solo voices, rather than assigned to individual solo voices or a full choir. This allows Schütz to alternate between narrative line and direct speech, and to treat the intertwined solo voices like concertante instrumental lines, thereby achieving numerous striking effects. (His other oratorio and passion settings, all composed after the devastation of the Thirty Years’ War had greatly reduced imperial and ducal funding for musical activities, employed far more economical forces.) However, Schütz also explicitly provided the option of giving one of the two vocal lines for Jesus, Mary, etc. to an instrument instead, or even to omit the secondary line altogether, which if done tilts the character of the performance toward a theatrical, almost proto-operatic, style.

All of which brings us to an interesting point. While I have not heard every recording of this work (seven are currently listed at ArkivMusic), I am familiar with most of them, and this is the first one I have encountered which employs the option of a solo voice with instrumental accompaniment rather than two voices in the parts of Jesus, Mary, and the young man. As such, it came as a surprise to me. While I continue to prefer the more traditional approach of giving all the parts in question to voices, this version is consequently of considerable importance for presenting listeners with the less common but still composer-sanctioned alternative. As for the caliber of the performance, I am in full agreement with Weber that this version is excellent, but that the Hillier recording on Da Capo (reviewed by Weber in 33:5 and by me in 35:4) sets the gold standard here, which no other recording quite matches. (Weber gave the Bernius recording an enthusiastic endorsement in a feature article back in 14:4, but he has apparently changed his mind, as in his review of that disc he now says that it has “some serious interpretive faults.”)

The five filler pieces are motets and polychoral concertos, which, while not all having texts explicitly concerned with Eastertide, are related to it in broader theological terms by the exceptionally fine booklet notes. Cantate Domino canticum novum is an arrangement by Schütz of a motet from the Symphoniae sacre of his teacher in Venice, Giovanni Gabrieli. Christ ist erstanden, believed to be the earliest work that Schütz composed for Easter, has not survived intact and is performed here in a reconstruction by musicologist Werner Berg. Both it and the Surrexit pastor bonus feature complex polyphonic lines and especially rich instrumentation, whereas the later Ich weiß, dass mein Erlöser lebet employs somewhat simpler means. Finally, Es gingen zweene Menschen hinauf ingeniously presents the parable of the Pharisee and the publican by giving the former an upbeat, skipping musical line that portrays his smug self-satisfaction and providing the latter with a repeatedly interjected keening vocal phrase to signify his heartfelt contrition and repeated striking of his breast in remorse. The recorded sound matches the excellence of the previous entries in this complete Schütz edition. In sum, strongly recommended—but, please, give us the complete Becker Psalter soon!

FANFARE: James A. Altena


Product Description:


  • Catalog Number: CV83256


  • UPC: 4009350832565


  • Label: Carus


  • Composer: Heinrich Schütz


  • Conductor: Hans-Christoph Rademann


  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Instrumenta Musica