JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897)Songs Ring out to the Heavens
Four Songs for Women's Chorus, 2 Horns & Harp, op.17
Harp Notes Ring Forth - Song of Shakespeare "Come Away, Death" - The Gardener - Song from "Fingal"
Three Songs, op.42
Evening Serenade - Vineta - Dirge for Dar-Thula
Four Quartets, op.92
Oh Beautiful Night - Late Autumn - Evening Song - Why?
Two Motets, op.29
A Saviour is come to us - From Psalm 51
Op.112, Nos.1 & 2
Yearning - At Night
Five Songs, op.104
Night watch I - Night watch II - Late happiness - Lost youth - In autumn
Neue Liebeslieder, Walzer op.65, no.15
Zum SchlußKansas City Chorale
with
Dave Everson, Steve Multer (horns), Erik C. Nielsen (harp) & Cynthia Siebert (piano)
conducted by Charles BruffyNIMBUS Records NI 5524
[65'16"] full priceIncludes full libretti/poems in German and English. This review is generously sponsored by Andrew Petersen.
by Chia Han-Leon
As we all know by now, Johannes Brahms (right) died in 1897, just over a hundred years ago. Many many many CDs of his music were released in 1997. I must confess that I wasn't particularly excited by the centenary, as I've generally found Brahms too conservative for my taste. Nevertheless, I'm often struck by the simple honest beauty of some of his best works. Never really seeking great power or name, Brahms has always come across to me as a composer who simply sought to compose simple, delightful music. Even faced with the most diresome of themes, there is always a touch of that Brahmsian salve of pain, rather like the cover of this disc. The songs presented here are mostly unfamiliar to me, but are consistently easy and at best heavenly to listen to.
The Four Songs, Op.17 are scored for three-part womens' voices (SSA) with two horns and harp. Together they form a fascinating quartet of varying theme but consistent beauty. Just take the opening track of the disc, Es tönt ein voller Harfenklang ("Harp Notes Ring Forth"), which in following the suggestion, Brahms word-paints with the heavenly sound of the harps, sighing in the background of distant horncalls. "Deep and quivering , they pierce my heart, /And leave my eyes o'er flowing."
The very unified and pleasing voices of the Kansas Chorale women's voices sing a Lied von Shakespeare [2], "Come away, death" (from Twelfth Night) with utter sweetness, beguiling the listener from the somewhat morbidly humourous poetry. Der Gärtner (3: "The Garden") is a loving tribute to the Romantic love of nature, but also the temporality of things. Again, it is the strangely dark words of the songs which make the beauty of the music all the more stark, heroic, yet tragic. Such is the spirit of Romanticism. The Gesang aus "Fingal" {4:Song from "Fingal") follows, a 6-minute Hebridean/Gothic/Tristan-esque evocation based on the "legendary bard" Ossian (who turned out to be the well-meaning creation of the Scottish poet James MacPherson).
The "adventurous harmonies" of the Three Songs, Op.42 can be a delight to the modern ear, as in Vineta [6], where the choir approaches the edge of the key, following the poetry of "wondrous tidings /of the beauteous magic city of old.", "Its pinnacles sparkle gold /reflecting in the mirror of the sea." - wonderful effects from the composer whom many, even myself, consider quite conservative. Indeed, as in the opening of Darthlas Grabesgesang (7: "Dirge for Dar-Thula"), I thought I could hear the harmonies of Renaissance motets
Belonging to Brahms's earlier period are the Two Motets, Op.29 [12-13], showing the contrapuntal influence of Bach. The second, appropriately religious, intent and solemn, sets 3 verses from Psalm 51. Sehnsucht, Op.112, No.1 [14], the title meaning "Yearning" is just so, earnestly sung in accompaniment to a nostalgically commenting piano. The sad Nächtens, Op.112, No.2 is made palpable with nervousness with its background piano quivering.
The Five Songs, Op.104 begin with two "Night Watch" songs. The second sings of horns, though none are actually employed. The other songs all sing of loss and sorrow. Not perhaps unusual for Brahms, the music seems to sweetly deny the onset of ultimate grief, missing that last ounce of intense feeling. Indeed, Verlorene Jugend (19: "Lost Youth") seems almost carefree and content.
I must admit not having much incentive to buy choral a capella CDs in general, because the thought of listening to 60+, sometimes 70+, minutes of unaccompanied voices is rather daunting. Thankfully, in addition to the horns and harps present in the first four tracks, the Four Quartets, op.92 (nope, T.S. Eliot comes later) is coloured with the presence of a piano. As the notes aplty describe, this is choral music as chamber music. And the performers here create the intimacy of the scale while preserving the essential Brahmsian strength which is a mixture of humility and earnestness. Abenlied (10:"Evening Song") begins with a delightful bouncing figure on the piano, while the choir cheerfully sing of "Night and Day /Peacefully struggle; /What power to subdue, /What power to dissolve!" - I love these Romanticist contradictions! The title of the disc comes from Goethe's poem, Warum, (11: "Why"), whose poetry evidently inspired Brahms:
- Why then do songs
ring out to the heavens?
Gladly they would bring down the stars
which gleam and sparkle above,
would attract Luna's sweet embrace,
would happily draw down the warm and happy days
of blessed gods upon us!The final song on the disc is the beautiful Zum Schluß, or "To Close" [21], set to words by Goethe. Honest and unpretentious, the music is thus sung to the slowly undulating accompaniment of the piano. "How misery and joy /Are mixed in the lover's heart"!
The Kansas City Chorale (right) consists of 24 professional singers and was founded in 1981. I'm very impressed by the way no voice section dominates over the others, and yet, if you tune your ear towards one section, they come out satisfying clear of word as well as music. The choir sustain stretches of singing with great unity, and sound effortlessly secure in both slow/legato and fast/staccato passages. An example of the former is the ending of the "Dirge of Dar-Thula" [7], where the organ-like and faultless sonority of the men's and women's lines produced a perfumed, hymnic close. Perhaps in pieces like Nächten, just a touch more drama would have helped characterize the music. On the other hand, the uniformity of the atmosphere generated by the choir may be considered monotonous by some, although I cannot deny that it is a pleasing one. At the same time, I found such a degree of unity poetically appropriate to the ironies and contradictions found in the poetry. Some might say the genteel characterizations of the choir matches the conservative side of Brahms. Well, whatever the case, these songs do ring out to the heavens. (You knew I was going to say that, right?)
This disc is readily available at, or can be ordered from, Borders Bookstore (Wheelock Place).
Thanks, Andrew! It was quite a delightful learning experience!
Chia Han-Leon recently painted his room two shades of blue, and feels really good about it. He deliberately avoids watching the "News" and feels even better about that.
Back to the Classical Index!... or read previous Brahms reviews and features at the InkpotOther classical music reviews by this or any other writer can be obtained from the InkVault by doing a key word search with the writer's name.
10.1.98; up.7.4.98
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