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SACRED REPERTOIRE
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The overriding message of this remarkable creation comes in the Celebrant's entrance, "Simple Song," one of the most disarming works Bernstein ever wrote. Women priests are still prohibited in the Catholic Church, of course, but Fleming's appropriation of this song, previously the domain of male singers, demonstrates that, musically at least, there are no grounds for discrimination.
A particular section of the regular Mass, the Gloria, has occasionally been set by composers as a single musical statement, to be performed alone. Francis Poulenc's "Gloria" in a case in point, and represents the composer at his most appealing. The distinctive richness of his harmonic language generates an effect that is truly otherworldly. The "Domine Deus" ("Lord God, Heavenly King") section of the piece is a soprano solo ideal for a voice of Fleming's purity and sensitivity.
The Latin Requiem Mass for the dead includes some of the same texts as a regular Mass, with additional texts that address issues of mortality and the afterlife. Among the most powerful musical treatments of the Requiem are those by Mozart, Berlioz, and Verdi. When Gabriel Fauré decided to compose "Requiem," he deliberately softened some of the heavy fire-and-brimstone texts and discarded others, creating a work that is mainly about comforting those who mourn. He lavished particular care on the section called "Pie Jesu" ("Gentle Jesus"), creating an ethereal effect, with the soprano lines floating above subtly shifting harmonies.
Besides the Mass, several other texts originally used in church services have frequently been set to music. Fleming chose one for her SACRED SONGS -- "Laudate Domine" ("Praise the Lord, All Ye Nations"), a setting of Psalm 117 from Mozart's "Vesperae solennes de confessore" ("Solemn Vespers of a Confessor"). This was written for the composer's despised employer, the Archbishop of Salzburg, who insisted on a nonoperatic style for his vespers. Mozart complied, more or less, but still created a soprano solo that, with a different text, could have been quite at home in one of his operas.
In addition to liturgical material, the realm of sacred music embraces a large quantity of oratorios, works for soloists, chorus, and orchestra that address religious subjects from a narrative and/or contemplative perspective. Handel was the definitive master of the oratorio form, most famously represented by his "Messiah," originally written for the Lenten season but now associated equally, if not more, with Christmas. "He shall feed His flock," with its gently flowing melody conveying a pastoral mood, and the florid "Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion" are tailor-made for Fleming's expressive warmth and technical agility.
Berlioz wrote his own texts for his beautifully crafted, intimate Christmas oratorio, "L'enfance du Christ" ("The Childhood of Christ"), telling the story of the days after the birth of Jesus. "The Shepherd's Farewell," a tender prayer for the boy's safety as he travels to Egypt ("May you never feel the blows of injustice"), has the endearing simplicity of a folk song. So does Max Reger's artless carol, "Mari¨ Wiegenlied" ("The Virgin's Slumber Song"), which exquisitely draws an image of Mary in her "rose-garden rocking the child Jesus." The two most famous classical songs about Mary, Schubert's "Ave Maria" and Gounod's "Ave Maria," are also in Fleming's sacred repertoire. Gounod's version uses the well-known C major Prelude by Bach as the basis for a gleaming melody of the French composer's own invention. Speaking of Bach, one of his best-loved melodies, "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," is also among Fleming's favorites, and it's another natural for a program devoted to music of faith that has a universal appeal and sounds especially warming each Christmas season.
Top banner photos: Mainz Cathedral Choir, the performers in Mainz Cathedral, and Renée Fleming. |
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Violinists of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. |
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Conductor Trevor Pinnock is also a virtuoso harpsichordist. |
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The CD is available from Amazon.com. |
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