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Bach, Berlioz, Verdi, Mahler: Mute Sighs, Silent Laments / Saxon Staatskapelle Dresden
Profil

Bach, Berlioz, Verdi, Mahler: Mute Sighs, Silent Laments / Saxon Staatskapelle Dresden

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Details

Composer
Johann Sebastian Bach, Hector Berliz, Philippe Herreweghe, Gustav Mahler, Andreas Schreiber, Giusepp
Artist
Staatskapelle Dresden, Philippe Herreweghe
Format
CD
Label
Profil
Released
Jan 07, 2022
Catalog #
PH21024
UPC
881488210248

About

The musicians of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden were committed to their tradition of staging an annual commemorative concert even under these difficult circumstances and decided to organize a Memento Mori to mark this date that is inscribed in the annals of city history. The program comprised a small ensemble conducted by an expert for Baroque music and two ideally suited voices for the format. The concert was recorded for the Deutschlandfunk Kultur station and broadcast as a message of peace in the world. There were fewer than ten people in the auditorium of the Semperoper, all socially distanced and listening raptly to this unique event. Ultimately this was the first sign of life, the first musical greeting from the orchestra in a concert not open to the public after months of inactivity due to the pandemic. When, barely a year ago, Arnold Schoenberg’s “Gurre-Lieder” (featuring more than 300 performers on stage to a full house!) were performed and produced for album shortly afterwards (Edition Staatskapelle Vol. 50, PH 20052), no one would have predicted that this sonorous performance would be followed by a long phase of silence. May the present recording serve as testimony in the form of a contemporary sign of a cultural reawakening.

Review

With this latest release entitled Stumme Seufzer, stille Klagen (Mute Sighs, Silent Laments) the Edition Staatskapelle Dresden series has reached volume 51. Contained here is a pair of J.S. Bach’s greatest church cantatas from the 2021 anniversary concert held in memory of the destruction of Dresden in 1945. The themes of chosen cantatas are death and hope of salvation seen from the standpoint of their being a gateway to everlasting life.

The city of Dresden was destroyed by three days of Allied bombing raids, in February 1945. It is now an annual tradition for the Sachsische Staatskapelle Dresden to mark the anniversary date with a commemorative concert with no interval and or applause during the performance or at the conclusion. For the 2021 memorial concert, the Staatskapelle Dresden was keen to maintain the tradition and went ahead while observing coronavirus regulations – specifically, without a public audience and players socially distanced players on stage.

Dorothee Mields sings Bach’s original 1714 version of Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut a solo cantata for soprano with obbligato parts for oboe and viola. As the cantata begins with a recitative and aria, Herreweghe has chosen to start the score with the Sinfonia from the church cantata Weinen, klagen, sorgen, zagen (Weeping, lamenting, sorrow, sighing) BWV 12. Such an exquisite lament, the aria Stumme Seufzer, stille Klagen (Mute Sighs, Silent Laments) is sung sublimely by Mields, the overall effect heightened by the accompanying oboe part played by Rafael Sousa. In the following short chorale: Ich, dein betrübtes Kind (I, your troubled child) one senses that Mields is living the words of the penitent sinner while the viola part played by Sebastian Herberg is very much her equal.

Recorded in the outstanding acoustic of Semperoper, the sound has clarity and first-class balance. The second ‘bonus’ CD contains extracts from three huge works for chorus and orchestra appropriate to the theme of death and hope of salvation by Verdi, Berlioz and Mahler, all recorded and previously released for the Edition Staatskapelle Dresden series on Profil. Included on the ‘bonus’ CD are the interviews that Stefan Lang held in German with Philippe Herreweghe and with violist Andreas Schreiber.

Verdi completed his Messa da Requiem in 1874...[the] three chosen extracts, the sections: Requiem, Dies irae and Tuba mirum are from the recording conducted by Christian Thielemann at the Memorial Concert held on 13th February 2014 in the Semperoper, Dresden.

Berlioz wrote his Grande Messe des Morts a massive work using a huge orchestra and choral forces, in 1837...[the] recording here is the Dies irae by Sir Colin Davis, conducting the Memorial Concert given on the 13th February 1994 at the Kreuzkirche, Dresden.

The chosen extract [from Mahler's Symphony no. 2 "Resurrection" [is] the Finale...part of the recording conducted by Bernard Haitink at the Memorial Concert on the 13th February 1995 in the Semperoper.

A valuable feature of this Edition Staatskapelle Dresden series, a bilingual edition in German and English, is the scrupulously produced booklets, produced to a high standard[.] These are exemplary performances. From first to last note, I am totally engaged by Herreweghe’s rewarding accounts of two of J.S. Bach’s greatest church cantatas.

--MusicWeb International (Michael Cookson)

Tracklist 22 tracks

  1. Disc 1
  2. 1 Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21: Sinfonia 02:44
    Track
    1
    Title
    Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21: Sinfonia
    Duration
    02:44
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Staatskapelle Dresden
    Conductor
    Philippe Herreweghe
  3. 2 Aria: Ich habe genug 07:10
    Track
    2
    Title
    Aria: Ich habe genug
    Duration
    07:10
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Krešimir Stražanac
    Ensemble
    Staatskapelle Dresden
    Conductor
    Philippe Herreweghe
  4. 3 Recitative: Ich habe genug! Mein Trost ist nur allein 01:08
    Track
    3
    Title
    Recitative: Ich habe genug! Mein Trost ist nur allein
    Duration
    01:08
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Krešimir Stražanac
    Ensemble
    Staatskapelle Dresden
    Conductor
    Philippe Herreweghe
  5. 4 Aria: Schlummert ein, ihr matten Augen 08:49
    Track
    4
    Title
    Aria: Schlummert ein, ihr matten Augen
    Duration
    08:49
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Krešimir Stražanac
    Ensemble
    Staatskapelle Dresden
    Conductor
    Philippe Herreweghe
  6. 5 Recitative: Mein Gott! Wann kömmt das schöne 00:51
    Track
    5
    Title
    Recitative: Mein Gott! Wann kömmt das schöne
    Duration
    00:51
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Krešimir Stražanac
    Ensemble
    Staatskapelle Dresden
    Conductor
    Philippe Herreweghe
  7. 6 Aria: Ich freue mich auf meinen Tod 03:30
    Track
    6
    Title
    Aria: Ich freue mich auf meinen Tod
    Duration
    03:30
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Krešimir Stražanac
    Ensemble
    Staatskapelle Dresden
    Conductor
    Philippe Herreweghe
  8. 7 Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12: Sinfonia 02:16
    Track
    7
    Title
    Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12: Sinfonia
    Duration
    02:16
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Ensemble
    Staatskapelle Dresden
    Conductor
    Philippe Herreweghe
  9. 8 Recitative: Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut 01:53
    Track
    8
    Title
    Recitative: Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut
    Duration
    01:53
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Dorothee Mields
    Ensemble
    Staatskapelle Dresden
    Conductor
    Philippe Herreweghe
  10. 9 Aria: Stumme Seufzer, stille Klagen 06:46
    Track
    9
    Title
    Aria: Stumme Seufzer, stille Klagen
    Duration
    06:46
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Dorothee Mields
    Ensemble
    Staatskapelle Dresden
    Conductor
    Philippe Herreweghe
  11. 10 Recitative: Doch Gott muss mir genadig sein 01:01
    Track
    10
    Title
    Recitative: Doch Gott muss mir genadig sein
    Duration
    01:01
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Dorothee Mields
    Ensemble
    Staatskapelle Dresden
    Conductor
    Philippe Herreweghe
  12. 11 Aria: Tief gebückt und voller Reue 08:02
    Track
    11
    Title
    Aria: Tief gebückt und voller Reue
    Duration
    08:02
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Dorothee Mields
    Ensemble
    Staatskapelle Dresden
    Conductor
    Philippe Herreweghe
  13. 12 Recitative: Auf diese Schmerzensreu 00:15
    Track
    12
    Title
    Recitative: Auf diese Schmerzensreu
    Duration
    00:15
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Dorothee Mields
    Ensemble
    Staatskapelle Dresden
    Conductor
    Philippe Herreweghe
  14. 13 Chorale: Ich, dein betrübtes Kind 01:52
    Track
    13
    Title
    Chorale: Ich, dein betrübtes Kind
    Duration
    01:52
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Dorothee Mields
    Ensemble
    Staatskapelle Dresden
    Conductor
    Philippe Herreweghe
  15. 14 Recitative: Ich lege mich in diese Wunden 00:47
    Track
    14
    Title
    Recitative: Ich lege mich in diese Wunden
    Duration
    00:47
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Dorothee Mields
    Ensemble
    Staatskapelle Dresden
    Conductor
    Philippe Herreweghe
  16. 15 Aria: Wie freudig ist mein Herz 02:05
    Track
    15
    Title
    Aria: Wie freudig ist mein Herz
    Duration
    02:05
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Dorothee Mields
    Ensemble
    Staatskapelle Dresden
    Conductor
    Philippe Herreweghe
  17. Disc 2
  18. 1 Interview with Philippe Herreweghe 07:55
    Track
    1
    Title
    Interview with Philippe Herreweghe
    Duration
    07:55
    Performer
    Philippe Herreweghe, Stefan Lang
  19. 2 Requiem 08:19
    Track
    2
    Title
    Requiem
    Duration
    08:19
    Composer
    Giuseppe Verdi
    Performer
    Krassimira Stoyanova, Marina Prudenskaya, Charles Castronovo, Georg Zeppenfeld
    Ensemble
    Dresden Staatsoper Choir, Staatskapelle Dresden
    Conductor
    Christian Thielemann
  20. 3 Dies irae 02:22
    Track
    3
    Title
    Dies irae
    Duration
    02:22
    Composer
    Giuseppe Verdi
    Performer
    Krassimira Stoyanova, Marina Prudenskaya, Charles Castronovo, Georg Zeppenfeld
    Ensemble
    Dresden Staatsoper Choir, Staatskapelle Dresden
    Conductor
    Christian Thielemann
  21. 4 Tuba mirum 03:19
    Track
    4
    Title
    Tuba mirum
    Duration
    03:19
    Composer
    Giuseppe Verdi
    Performer
    Krassimira Stoyanova, Marina Prudenskaya, Charles Castronovo, Georg Zeppenfeld
    Ensemble
    Dresden Staatsoper Choir, Staatskapelle Dresden
    Conductor
    Christian Thielemann
  22. 5 Grande messe des morts, Op. 5, "Requiem": Dies irae 13:10
    Track
    5
    Title
    Grande messe des morts, Op. 5, "Requiem": Dies irae
    Duration
    13:10
    Composer
    Hector Berlioz
    Performer
    Keith Ikaia-Purdy
    Ensemble
    Dresden Staatsoper Choir, Dresden Symphony Chorus, Dresden Singakademie, Staatskapelle Dresden
    Conductor
    Colin Davis
  23. 6 Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, "Resurrection": V. Aufersteh'n, ja aufersteh'n wirst du 36:01
    Track
    6
    Title
    Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, "Resurrection": V. Aufersteh'n, ja aufersteh'n wirst du
    Duration
    36:01
    Composer
    Gustav Mahler
    Performer
    Charlotte Margiono, Jard van Nes
    Ensemble
    Dresden Staatsoper Choir, Dresden Symphony Chorus, Staatskapelle Dresden
    Conductor
    Bernard Haitink
  24. 7 Interview with Andreas Schreiber 03:08
    Track
    7
    Title
    Interview with Andreas Schreiber
    Duration
    03:08
    Performer
    Andreas Schreiber, Stefan Lang