T h e slight story involves the usual

Baroque plot device of mistaken identity;

in this case, VA'O brothers, having been kidnapped separately years ago, are unaware
of their relationship, and, as a further
complication, one has tiken on the name
of the other. A faked drowning, a lecherous pirate and a captive father with two
daughters are thrown into the mix. Natundly, the two brothers end up with the two
sisters (one being the Hiithful nymph of
the opera's title), but before they can sail
home, the goddess Juno must calm Aeolus, the god of winds, turning the final ten
minutes of the work into a formal coda
featuring these new characters, well sung
here by contralto Sara Mingando and bassbaritone Ghristian Senn.

cially fine, and her vocal fireworks come in

the lively "Gerva che al monte, ' with text
and music depicting a deer running cheerfully in the mountains.
Gountertenor Philippe Jaroussky brings
his customary elegant and lovely sound to
"Qual serpe tortuosa," whose spectacular
cuding violin triplets s u r e s t the snake of
the aria's title, and tenor Topi Lehtipuu
lends vocal authority to the role of the distressed father, with the score's loveliest aria,
"Deh, ti piega." Bass Lorenzo Regazzo
plays the pirate Oralto with gusto and selfdeprecating humor, especially in the short
aria "Perdo ninfa," in which he expresses
regret at losing the nymph ("She was a
goddess!"), then quickly turns in buffo
tage on the other characters.

Most of the arias are ihe usual da capo

affairs, with Vivaldi's characteristic vigorous string writing and demanding vocalism. The opening aria is striking for its use
of trumpet and drums along with the bass
voice, while two flutes lend a cheerful tone
to "Gento donzelle." A few strophic or
through-co m posed arias indicate Vivaldi's
awareness of the public's interest in the
simpler, galant style. An energetic, imitative trio ends Act I, while a mote conventional quartet brings Act 11 to a close; there
are also two duets, although one merely
features two characters alternating verses.
Everyone gets at least one stupefying
vocal moment, with cascades of sixteenth
notes indicating a character's oppression,
anger or joy, and Spinosi's cast provides
ample excitement for the listener. In the
title role, soprano Sandrine Piau uses her
.soft-focus voice to great effect, especially in
the angry, staccato repeated notes of "Alma
oppressa" and the quiet, joyous "11 mio
core a chi la diede," in which garlands of
triplets swirl over a gently throbbing
accompaniment. As the nicer of the two
brothers, soprano Veronica Gangemi does
her share of spectacular singing, especially
in the agitated "Destino avaro" and the
amazingly fast and clean arpegios of "Tra
inospite tupi," as well as the simple,
poignant "Dite, oim," with its spate lute
accompaniment imparting a spacious stillness that is captivating.
Gontralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux makes
the most of everything she sings, even the
tiny aria "Egii vano," with its angry,
accusatory tone, and she uses the strange
halting figiires of "Aure lieve, che spirate"
to indicate the character's insecurity and
worry. Lemieux's recitative singing is espe-

JUDITH MALAFRONTE

BERNSTEIN

MASS
CHORAL A N D SONG
BERNSTEIN: Mass
D Scarlata; Company of Music, Tlzer
Knabenchor, Cborus Sine Nomine,
Tonkiinstler-Orchester, Absolute Ensemble,
Kjrvi. English and Latin texts. Chandas
CHSA 5070 (2)
This smashing new recording of Bernstein's Mass challenges and in some ways
surpasses the original one. A previous
entry, Kent Nagano's polished and wellintentioned but sterile version on Harmonia Mundi in 2004, was the first recording
since the original, which was recorded live
at its premiere in 1971, conducted by the
composer. Though ultimately unsuccessfiil, the 2004 Harmonia Mundi recording
was nonetheless a milestone, because it
indicated that the always-controversial
work was finally being taken seriously by a
conductor of Nagano's stature perhaps
a bit roo seriously.
The new version features Kristjan Jarvi
conducting the combined forces of the
Tonkiinsrler-Orchester and the Absolute

Ensemble, two groups for which he serves

as music director. 1 hough Bernsteins
earnest mlange of classical and pop styles
was criticized (and even ridiculed) by some
at the time, it now seems prescient, and
the piece must be considered a landmark,
given the influence, acknowledged or not,
it has had on the subsequent generation of
American composers.
Jarvi, clearly in command of all the
idioms, matches Nagano's classical polish
in the stretches of Mahler- and BrittenesqLie orchestral writing, but he and his
forces demonstrate a comfort level in the
rock, pop and blues pas.sages that far surpasses Nagano's. Even compared to Bernstein's original, Jrvi's pop sections mostly
sound better. This is partly a reflection of
the advances in recording and engineering
techniques from 1971 to the present day,
but it's also because popular and classical
idioms commingle more naturally today,
especially under confident leadership such
as Jrvi's. And let's not discount the efect
of great playing and singing.
Randall Scariata, as the Gelebrant, has a
vocal coloring similar to that of Alan
Titus, who created the role. Like Titus,
Scarlata effectively modulates his trained
opera voice to the more vernacular realm
of direct expression called for by the part.
This is crossover singing at its best. Scariata's "Simple .Song" soars, first gently then
urgently, and he delivers a ringing, passionate "Word of the Lord."
T h e mixed chorus (Ghorus Sine
Nomine), the "street chorus" (the Viennabased Gompany of Music) and the boys'
choir (Tlzer Knabenchor) all pulse with
vigor and immediacy. To an American ear,
the European-accented English in the
solos adds to the sense of universal
embrace Bernstein sought. Reinwald
Kranner, one of the rock singers, is a
standout among many strong performers,
providing a bold, rebellious edge to "I
Don't Know." I also enjoyed Ruth PCraus's
"World Without End" and Dave Moskin's
"I Believe m God."
The outstanding drum and percussion
playing contribute significantly to the success of this recording. The tambourine really drives the proceedings in tbe "In nomine
Pattis" section, and the bass drum thwacks
are much more present than in the original. The ^eeiul pounding of the drums at
the climax of "I Don't fsjiow" is another
welcome explosion. (Damicn Ba.s.sman and
Walter Schiefer are the drummers.)

OPERA NEWS

In the climactic "Things Get Broken"

section, Jrvi is edgier and, surprisingly,
more secure rhythmically than even Bernstein when it starts to heat up, though
Scarlata, Titus and jerry Hadley as well, on
the Nagano recording, all give convincing,
admirable performances of this dramaturgically difficult mad scene.
In sum, the new recording is hj-pnotizing in its vibrancy, the slickness of its engineering and the confidence of its
integrated vision. It makes the Mass sound
brand new. The occasional track goes by
that, for one reason or another, doesn't
measure up to the original, but for the
most part, the new recording is a revelation. If pressed, I would have to say this is
the one to have if you don't know the
piece and can only buy one.
JOSHUA ROSENBLUM

MACMILLAN: St. John Passion

n Maltmau: London Symphony Chonis
and Orchestra, C. Davis. Text and
translations. LSO0671 (2)
Beginning with Krzysztof Penderecki's
1966 St. Luke Passion, the past fifty years
have seen a strong resurgence of Passion
settings from composers of very different
aesthetic sensibilities. Among the most celebrated contributors have been Andrew
Lloyd Webber {Jesus Christ Superstar,
1970), Arvo Part {St. John Passion, 1982),
Mauricio Kagel {Passion According to St.
Bach, 1985), Wolfgang Rihm {Detis Passus,
2000), Osvaldo Goijov {St. Mark Passion,
2000), Tan Dun ( Water Passion, 2000) and
Sofia Gubaidulina (St John Passion, 2000).
Scots composer James MacMillan (b.
1959) joined these prestigious ranks with
his 2007 setting of the St. John Passion.
A practicing Roman Catholic with a lifelong background in liturgical choral music,
MacMillan has regularly drawn compositional inspiration from the tenets of his
faith. Indeed, the majority of his significant
works have a religious theme. Of these
works, the St. John Passion is rhe largest in
scale and the most powerful in utterance.
One of the many innovative concepts
MacMillan applies to the traditional musical form of the Passion is to begin the piece
at the moment of Jesus's betrayal, without
an overture or other lead-in. The work is
divided into ten sections, the last of which
is an instrumental commentary on the
preceding nine. Each of the first six sections begins wirh narration and ends with
a chorus, using texts derived from scriptur-

AUGUST 2009

al and liturgical sources, primarily from

outside the Passion story.
The work is scored for a medium-sized
orchestra. Only the role of Jesus is given to
a vocal soloist, here the very well-cast
Ghristopher Maltman. T h e chorus is
essentially divided into two groups, each
calling for singers of the highest caliber a small Narrator Chorus that sings the role
of the Evangelist, and a large chorus that
performs all other vocal music, including
the portrayal of numerous characters. The
London Symphony Chorus proves worthy
of the musical challenges.
Musically, this Passion speaks its own
language, largely within a tonal idiom: it is
obviously influenced by the traditions of
liturgical choral music but does not resort
to direct quotations or mimicking the rechniques of bygone stylistic eras. Some may
find MacMillans heavy use ot melisma and
heterophony to be misguided, as ir tends to
weaken the directness of speech one associates with Jesus and the strongest of the
other characters. But this stylistic choice
becomes more persuasive as the work progresses. As we approach the Crucifixion,
the music gains dramatic power, ctilminating in the fourth and fifi:h sections, devoted to Jesus's trial, ordeal and condemnation
before Pilate. MacMillan creates a very palpable level of tension between characters as
Pilate tries to determine what to do about
Jesus and his accusers.
T h e final choruses of each section
increase in emotional intensity through
the fourth section, during which Judas is
vilified for his act of betrayal. The fifth section, in which Jesus is condemned to
death, closes with a subdued setting of
"Cruciflxus," perhaps in homage to Bachs
rendition of this text in his B-minor Mass.
In seaion seven, a complex piece of writing utilizes the text of the Stabat Mater
and makes textual (not musical) reference
to both the "Coventry Carol" and "O
Haupt, vol Blut und Wunden," from

Bach's St. Matthew Passion.

The seventh vocal section, entided The
Reproaches, is the only disappointment in
this ninety-minute work. Here, MacMillan departs from the gospel narrative and
in a scolding manner conflates the words
of |esus and texts from the Pentateuch.
Perhaps MacMillan's intent is both to
show that Jesus and the Old Iestament
Father are one and to express the wrath of
God; unfortunately, this section comes
across as a pretentiotis, unconvincing accusatory rant from the composer himself.
The orchestral closing section, "Sanctus
Immortalis, miserere nobis," covers a wide
range of expression, from sorrow to devotion, from pathos to desolation. It is a true
tour de force that could stand alone as a
concert work. Here as throughout, the
London Symphony Orchestra plays with
fervent intensity.
The St. John Passion is dedicated to
Colin Davis, now approaching his eightysecond birthday Davis gives the Passion as
fine a reading as may ever be heard, the
focus and commitment of his leadership
shining throughout. This is a most satisfying recording of a work whose strengths
become ever more apparent with repeated
hearings.
ARLO M C : K I N N O N

PFITZNER; Von Deutscher Seele

[~ Kringelborn, Stntzniatiu; Ventns. Moll;
Berlin Radio Chorus, German Symphony
Orchestra Berlin, Metzrnacher. Text and
transLuion. Phoenix Edition l45 (2)
A retrospectively unfortunate title, coupled with the retrograde politics of composer H a n s Pfitzner ( 1 8 6 9 - 1 9 4 9 ) ,
doubtless keeps the "Romantic Cantata"
Von Deutscher Seele (From the German
Soul) from wider repertory currency. This
is a pity, as the beautifully orchestrated,
often stirring late-Romantic score well
merits investigation by those who appreciate Mahler, Richard Strauss and Zemlin-

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