HAYDN: Nelson Mass; Symphony No. 103, “The Drumroll” – Eva Linda, Ingeborg Danz, James Taylor, Reinhard Hagen, EuropaChorAkademie, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg conducted by Michael Gielen – Glor Classics GCO8041, 65:38 (CD + DVD) ***** [distirbuted by Allegro]:
This new release from the promising young, Glor Classics label, based in a suburb south of Munich, turns out to be a thrilling introduction not only to the label but also to Joseph Haydn, Michael Gielen, the Southwest German Radio Orchestra and the kettledrum.
Haydn, as you probably know, is the Austrian composer whose death we are celebrating this year with all sorts of concerts and recordings. Gielen, as you might not know, is the emeritus German composer and conductor whose career has included stops in Cincinnati, London, Berlin and Salzburg. His recordings with a variety of orchestras define what some might describe as a German equivalent to Pierre Boulez, also a composing conductor. Certainly, both men seem to internalize their own music and that of their contemporaries as a portal through which to develop a game plan when interpreting mainstream repertoire. In a sense, it’s like John Cusack entering the brain of John Malkovich; in Gielen’s case, the victims have included Ligeti, Mahler, Bartok and Messiaen, no to mention Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. The kettledrum, more commonly known as the tympani, is the protagonist in Haydn’s “Drumroll” Symphony.
What you find in these Haydn performances is a largely successful attempt to take Haydn at his word during his long imprisonment in Esterhazy when he dreamed of orchestras with lots of strings: 40 violins, at least. To Gielen, it means stretching out the dramatic architecture so that the musical lines can have all the room they need to express themselves. It’s different than the lumbering efforts of Furtwängler or the peckish ones of Szell. It’s far more organic, more in keeping with the humanity of the composer, as it allows the many arching melodies in the strings to be gloriously shaped and fashioned. The woodwinds and horns also benefit, as they step out of their usual role of rustic character actors ready to provide a musical laugh. Such an interpretive approach ensures buy-in from the various musical forces, and results is music making that is dazzling in its commitment to a common musical goal, interpretive accuracy to some agreed-upon notion of what Haydn is about, and a superb ability to make the most the music’s dramatic impact.
For example, at the beginning of the “Drumroll,” the timpanist plays an astonishing 30-second riff which equals a wildman like Gene Krupa at his best, then returns for a shorter solo bow just before the movement’s end. The second movement’s theme and variations have the chic and sexy insouciance of a martini bar and ready sex. The scherzo marches along with happy feet. The Finale roars with epigrammatic mystery and heroic victory.
The Mass is equally successful. The soloists relish Haydn’s uniquely extreme demands of mind-bending virtuosity and soulful lyricism, the Chorus relies on warmth and nuance more than on precision, and the orchestra is outstanding in what is a part of its core repertory. I was initially tempted to dock it as much as a star for its marginally archaic notion of Haydn style, but the more I listened the more I felt it deserves five stars for the absolute quality and integrity of the musical experience.
The sound, which sounds better and better the more you turn it up, is bright and powerful, well controlled with lots of dynamic range and size, and a bit of ambience thrown in as well. The balance engineers have managed the almost impossible task of enabling the soloists, without distortion, to match the intensity of the orchestra and chorus. The leisurely, surprisingly provocative liner notes are enhanced by an adorably clumsy translation. There is a free bonus DVD which includes documentary bits on the label’s projects and a trailer for Placido Domingo’s “Verdi Requiem.”
– Laurence Vittes
