Ludwig van Beethoven - Christus am Ölberge (Kent Nagano)

Information

Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven

• Christus am Ölberge, Op. 85

Plácido Domingo, tenor

Luba Orgonasova, soprano

Andreas Schmidt, bass

Rundfunkchor Berlin

Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin

Kent Nagano, conductor

Date: 2003/2013

Label: harmonia mundi

https://www.harmoniamundi.com/en/albums/christ-on-the-mount-of-olives-2/

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 9 / SOUND QUALITY: 9

Christus am Ölberge (Christ on the Mount of Olives) is Beethoven’s only oratorio, and while the 1803 work hardly measures up to the peaks of the Beethoven canon, it’s well worth hearing, especially in so sympathetic a performance. Nowhere near as sweepingly dramatic as the great Bach Passions, it’s sharply focused on Jesus’ mental turmoil. The action is confined to the Mount of Olives, and besides Jesus, the other soloists are the Seraph as God’s messenger, and Peter, whose small role is confined to anger at the Roman soldiers. The chorus takes on the parts of the soldiers, disciples, and angels, eschewing Bachian opportunities for meditative lessons for the faithful.

The musical language is unmistakably Beethoven’s, but with visible fingerprints of Haydn, Mozart, and Handel, the latter most apparent in the final choral fugue that quotes Messiah’s “Hallelujah!” chorus. Likewise, while the orchestral introduction recalls Haydn, the bassoon-led sonorities and ominous throbbing timpani mark it with Beethoven’s originality. That introduction also exemplifies the quality of much of the work, as does the following extended recitative and aria for Jesus. The soprano aria “Preist des Erlösens Güte” is another high point, gracefully and often floridly written.

But the oratorio is front-loaded; the first part is more compelling musically, and while the second part has its moments, notably the final choral fugue, there are too many banal sections, such as the soldier’s choruses and Peter’s outburst, heir to the traditional vengeance aria. Perhaps the work’s unevenness is due to Beethoven’s greater attraction to the emotions and spiritual wrestlings in preference to the more conventional narrative of the rest of the work.

Kent Nagano and his forces are persuasive advocates, making the most of the oratorio’s best moments and making the perfunctory ones palatable. But in most respects, this is Placido Domingo’s show. The man never ceases to amaze. On the brink of qualifying for Social Security, he still sings with commitment and tonal strength, investing the text with expressiveness to portray a very human Jesus. Likewise, soprano Luba Orgonasova is about all we can ask for in the role of the Seraph–warmly angelic and agile in coping with the role’s modest coloratura demands. The jewel box lists baritone Andreas Schmidt as a bass, but even a darker voice wouldn’t make anything of the formulaic part. Fine sound allows details to emerge with clarity. But isn’t 47 and a half minutes skimpy timing for a full-price disc? [3/17/2004]

-- Dan Davis, ClassicsToday

More reviews:
https://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2013/Dec13/Beethoven_Christus_HMG501802.htm

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/nov/28/classicalmusicandopera.shopping5

https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Christus-Deutsches-Symphonie-Orchester-Berlin/dp/B00COU07T8

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Ludwig van Beethoven (baptized 17 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential of all composers. Beethoven is acknowledged as a giant of classical music, and his influence on subsequent generations was profound. His best-known compositions include 9 symphonies, 5 piano concertos, 1 violin concerto, 32 piano sonatas and 16 string quartets. Many of his most admired works come from the last decade of his life, when he was almost completely deaf.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven

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Kent Nagano (born November 22, 1951 in Berkeley, California) is an American conductor and opera administrator. He studied at the University of California, the San Francisco State University, and the École Normale de Musique de Paris. Nagano was music director of the Opéra National de Lyon (1988-98), principal conductor of the Hallé Orchestra (1992-99), principal conductor and artistic director of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (2000-06), and music director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (2006-20). He is currently Generalmusikdirektor of the Hamburg State Opera (since 2015).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_Nagano
http://kentnagano.com/

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