Praetorius & Schütz: Reformationsmesse Dresden 1617

This very fine programme represents the conjectural reconstruction of a 1617 celebration service in Dresden for the centenary of the Reformation. The music is by Michael Praetorius and Heinrich Schütz - two very different composers who in fact turn out to be remarkably effective partners. The various works performed are arranged around the movements of Praetorius' Missa gantz Teutsch (German-language Mass), its beautiful Kyrie beginning at track 3 and the remainder continuing on tracks 4, 6 and 9. The Mass is beautifully sung and played throughout, the singing by a very fine team of solo voices of La Capella Ducale, with the pure and perfectly-pitched soprano of Monika Mauch making an especially distinguished contribution. The graceful instrumental ritornelli, alternating with the sung passages, are also beautifully performed by the players of Musica Fiata.Director Roland Wilson has assembled a lovely programme of additional music around this Mass, the most interesting features being two partially reconstructed pieces by Schütz which here receive their first recording. The first of these, a setting of 'Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott', opens the programme, a very fine work of which the two inner verses are especially beautiful. That's not surprising, because it's these verses that are the composer's own whereas the opening and closing verses are reconstructed, with rather more of a racket from trumpets and timpani than I would normally associate with the refined music of the great master. However, Roland Wilson does cite evidence for this treatment in his excellent booklet notes, so I suppose we can put up with it, especially for the sake of the profundity, subtlety and expressive word-setting of the composer's original passages. In any case, it's hard to go wrong with such a magnificent melody and so altogether the piece is both fascinating and successful.Further on we have another reconstructed and very beautiful Schütz piece, 'Esaia, dem Propheten, das geschah' (8). We also get three other Schütz works from the 'Psalmen Davids' collection: 'Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied' (track 2); an especially lovely rendering of the oft-recorded 'Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren' (5); and finally 'Danket dem Herren, denn er ist freundlich' (12). The latter's text is an awful bore owing to the seemingly endless repetition of the line about how God's mercy endureth for ever, but the instrumental arrangements help to bring sufficient variety to the piece, which otherwise is one of my least favourite works by one of music history's greatest composers - probably the fault of King David rather than of Heinrich Schütz.Altogether, this is an imaginative programme, and musically a great success. It illustrates a crucial point in music history when German sacred music was beginning to develop its own style, founding a tradition leading to the work of such as Tunder, Weckmann, Buxtehude, Bruhns and ultimately to the sacred music of JSB. The quality of singing and playing is excellent throughout, with the concerted singing especially lovely. As I mentioned earlier, the music of the two composers makes an excellent combination, the Praetorius pieces being of a graceful, somewhat more straightforward melodic character but by no means lacking in subtlety, while Schütz's contributions demonstrate the beauty, refinement, profundity and absolute mastery of expressive word-setting which characterise the composer's work. The two reconstructed Schütz works will be of especial interest to fans of this great baroque master.Director Roland Wilson's own CD booklet notes are extremely informative, and all texts and translations are included. The Praetorius Mass is also available with other works of his in a very lovely recording from Paul McCreesh with the Gabrieli Consort and Players and the boys' choir of Roskilde cathedral,  Praetorius: Mass for Christmas Morning , also marketed as  Christmette .

A bit weird this CD. Although it is a reconstruction of a 1617 celebration service in Dresden for the centenary of the Reformation, with music by Michael Praetorius and Heinrich Schütz, it is not as jubilant as you'd expect given the title and the event being reconstructed. he performance is introvert and delicate, but of a very high quality. So, once you accept it is not a jubilant and vivid reconstruction McCreesh would have made (although there are lively pieces), you can listen to some very fine music in a beautiful performance.

Originally bought because of the two Schutz works on this CD, which were new to me I was somewhat disappointed in the performances. They seem a bit lacklustre and subdued, somehow never really coming to life even though the music is often wonderful. Soloists and ensemble are good, but not outstanding in my opinion. This music cries out for a more full blooded performance to do it justice.

This disc offers a selection of works from Heinrich Schütz's Psalms of David together with Michael Praetorius' setting of the Mass in German, both published in 1619 and both very likely used two years earlier in a grand liturgy to celebrate the Jubilee of the Reformation at the Castle Chapel at Dresden. Those present had no means of knowing it, but this moment was the high-point of German Protestantism - only three years later the agony of the 30 Years War would begin. Protestant music was also on a high, a high (in terms of available resources) that would not be reached again until the 19th century.The music at Dresden in 1617 was ambitious, virtuosic, and thrilling - quite as much so Monteverdi's music in his 1610 collection. As in Monteverdi, pairs of high voices compete with each other, while pairs of violins or cornetts cascade around them, these thrills (in Praetorius' case) being punctuated by massive carefully-layered ensembles of voices and instruments. It is wonderful stuff, much too little performed today.Unfortunately you would not guess this from the performances we have here. These are very experienced players and singers - Wilson has been exploring the 17th century Lutheran repertoire for decades - but they sound soft-edged, introverted, almost apologetic; in a word dull, and they are not helped by a very recessed recording. If you listen to the Praetorius "Missa gantz Teudsch" in their version you would never guess what an florid, exuberant showpiece it is: for that you need to go to Paul McCreesh's Praetorius Christmas Mass disc from 1994. It is not a matter of technical skill or resources - the forces here are appropriate - but of energy and imagination.You might argue, I suppose, that McCreesh's rather technicolour approach is too brash for what is, after all, liturgical music - but Roland Wilson set out to reconstruct not just any old liturgy, but a very grand event at the richest court in Germany superintended by its greatest musicians. Fireworks would have been entirely in order but he has given us a damp squib.