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Martin: Die Weise von Liebe und Tod - van Steen

Martin: Die Weise von Liebe und Tod - van Steen

MDG Scene  901 1444-6

Stereo/Multichannel Hybrid

Classical


Frank Martin: Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Cornets Christoph Rilke

Christianne Stotijn (contralto)
Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur
Jac van Steen (conductor)

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Review by Graham Williams - July 6, 2007

This superb SACD is the latest in MDG’s on-going series of the music of Frank Martin. The previous issue was of purely instrumental music Martin: Concertos, Vol 1 - Erxleben / Soos / Haag / van Steen, but now we have his powerful setting of Rainer Maria Rilke’s prose-poem ‘Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Cornets Christoph Rilke’ (The Ballad of the Life and Death of Cornet Christoph Rilke).

Rainer Maria Rilke is widely considered to be one of the greatest lyric poets of 20th century German literature and his poems have been set to music by many composers including Hindemith, Shostakovich (Symphony 14), Viktor Ullmann and more recently Peter Lieberson.

In 1942 Martin’s wife suggested the Rilke text as the basis for a song cycle for voice and piano, but thanks to a commission by Paul Sacher, conductor of the Basel Chamber orchestra, and a meeting with the contralto Elisabeth Gehri, the work assumed it present form.

The piece is not a song cycle in the conventional sense of say, Schubert’s Winterreise although it has a clear narrative depicting the hardships of army life, friendship, love, battle and heroic death of the young ensign cut down by the sabres of the Turks in 1660. It consists of 23 songs sung by an alto and accompanied by a small chamber orchestra, consisting of winds, timpani, percussion, celesta, harp, piano and strings, which Martin uses with the utmost subtlety and imagination. The transparent instrumental writing sets the mood for the text and vividly creates the atmosphere and images expressed in the words.
Martin’s vocal writing is euphonious throughout, and in spite of his interest in, and embracing of serial techniques at the time he wrote it, the music remains firmly tonal.
The first three songs are lightly scored and thence become more dramatic following the introduction of the brass in the fourth ‘Wachtfeuer’. The wonderful spectral waltz in ‘Das Fest’ and the tender love music of ‘Hast Du vergessen’, exquisitely scored, bring to mind Ravel, while the ecstatic climax of ‘Die Turmstube’ is simply ravishing.

The formidable range of the vocal writing and the need for clear projection of the text is a huge challenge for any singer. It is one that the marvellous Christianne Stotijn meets with ease. The young Dutch mezzo has already impressed many in the world of music with her lovely voice and musical intelligence and it would be almost impossible to over-praise her performance here. She has the ability to immerse herself fully in the music and communicate her understanding of it directly to the listener. Hers is a magnificent achievement.

Jac van Steen and the Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur provide excellent support and MDG’s vivid recording balances voice and instruments in an ideal manner. The rear channels provide just the right degree of ambient information.

The well-written and detailed notes provide useful background to the composition, but give no indication of the events unfolded in Rilke’s text.
Martin considered that Rilke’s prose was virtually untranslatable and that attempts at translation only disfigured it. This may have influenced MDG’s decision to provide the texts in the booklet only in German. The omission of translations in other languages, however, is unfortunate for non-German speakers, as understanding of the text is essential to appreciate the genius of Martin’s musical realisation to the full. Fortunately it is possible to find an English translation at http://www.lieder.net/lieder/assemble_texts.html?SongCycleId=676

The opportunity to acquire one of Martin’s greatest works in such a fine performance and recording should not be missed and I recommend this SACD without reservation.

Copyright © 2007 Graham Williams and HRAudio.net

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