THEODORE DUBOIS: Solemn Mass of St. Remi; Mass of Deliverance – Maria Knapik, soprano/ Marc Boucher, baritone/ Jean-Willy Kunz, organ/ New World Philharmonic Choir/St. Therese Chanters/ Ottawa Classical Choir/Tremblant Choir/ New World Philharmonic Orchestra/Michel Brousseau, conductor – Atma 2632, 70:59 [Distr. by Naxos] ***:
The only real reliable information I could find on Theodore Dubois (1837-1924) was on Wikipedia: He studied first under Louis Fanart (the choirmaster at Reims cathedral) and later at the Paris Conservatoire under Ambroise Thomas. He won the Prix de Rome in 1861. In 1868, he became choirmaster at the Church of the Madeleine, and in 1871 took over from César Franck as choirmaster at the Basilica of Sainte-Clotilde. In 1877, Dubois returned to the Church of the Madeleine, succeeding Camille Saint-Saëns as organist there. From 1871 he taught at the Paris Conservatoire, where his notable pupils included Pierre de Bréville, Paul Dukas, Albéric Magnard, Guy Ropartz, and Florent Schmitt.
He wrote a lot of music, and though he had designs on the stage it is his religious music that is most noted today. Even though there are nearly 50 recordings of his work available, from the general musical public his works are largely hidden. The story of this disc begins when conductor Michel Brousseau discovers the Mass of Saint Remi (A man who was in part responsible for the founding of France) among the family archives during a visit to Dubois’s great grandson. He was able to put together the orchestral parts, and here we have the results. The Deliverance Mass was first performed in 1919 at Orleans after the Germans left France in WWI. It is also a tribute to Joan of Arc and the soldiers of France. Apparently a student of Dubois came to Quebec and made his music known there, hence the Canadian connection to this music.
The notes seem to indicate that Dubois is one of the “most important composers of his time”. This is an enormous statement that invites magnified comparisons to the denizens of great romantic composers of that age, and though Dubois has written some excellent music, it pales when cast into such a shadow. It is important to not overstate his case. That his music, at least on this disc, has a certain degree of piety, and is definitely of his age, there is no question. There is a sort of garbled romantic beauty in these works that are unique to the time, though many today will feel them rather dated, as many religious works of that century are. But if they can be approached in the proper manner, and their more humanistic messages excised from the specific time period of creation, there is much to enjoy.
The choruses (very large) perform well, though I did detect an odd distance factor between them and the organ that distorts the tonality of the pitch somewhat in certain places, but this is common in large churches. The brass section of the New World Philharmonic Orchestra is spot on, and I suppose that all here can be proud of an achievement that is obviously a labor of love. But not every music lover will respond to Dubois’s unique choral statements, so try and listen first. Sound is wide-ranging and deep.
— Steven Ritter
