Jan Dismas Zelenka - Sub olea pacis et palma virtutis

Gramophone, November 2001

Noémi Kiss, Anna Hlavenková sops
Markus Forster counterten
Jaroslav Březina, Adam Zdunikowski tens
Aleš Procházka bass
Czech Boys‘ Choir Boni Pueri
Musica Florea, Musica Aetrena, Ensemble Philidor
Marek Štryncl
2 CD Supraphon a.s.
SU 3520-2 232
Total time: 95:11
DDD
Text and translation included

A musical feast intended for a repressive emperor transcends its time and subject

From obsequiousness comes greatness. Coupled to an allegorical play, designed to laud not only a Habsburg emperor (Charles VI) at his coronation in Prague in 1723 but also his predecessors who had controlled the Czech lands since 1526, is Italianate music of vigour, grandeur and tenderness. It simply needs to be experienced. That we are now able to do so is due to Vratislav Bělský, whose reconstruction of the work Supraphon published in 1987.
Impossible to describe everything (Bělský’s preface covers over 18 pages in the English translation) but briefly, Sub olea pacis is one of only four Latin plays with music, out of hundreds, to survive complete and is the only one which identifies the composer; Zelenka seems to have written most of major inconsistencies between a copy of the music in Prague and the manuscript in Dresden; the libretto mentions the presence of dancers but the score contains no dance interludes, so what they did or what they represented is unknown.
It is unlikely that they were of Czech origin. Habsburg policy of the day was to „Germanise“ the country; and the Jesuits, responsible for the texts and staging, obeyed the rules while exalting a dynasty that had installed them in 1556 to lead the Counter Reformation in Bohemia. Sensibly, the play itself has been omitted in this recording. Speech contained in 16 scenas would have been tedious on CD, particularly, as Bělský says, „the music really is not very integrated into the play itself“. A lot of music was inserted into the script under titles like „Parergon comicom“, „Parergon intermedium“ and „Appertinens musicum“, each of which could cover several musical numbers.
Zelenka’s contribution is operatic and, after a three-part Overture, matches the drama with a prologue, three acts and epilogue. There are recitatives and choruses; and arias, many of which have repetition because they are in either da capo or dal segno form. Trumpets and timpani are included yet, intriguingly, not horns. The continuo group is thought to have been harpsichord, cello and Zelenka’s own instrument, the violone, with portable organ (Štryncl also introduces a theorbo) in some places. But of the 36 numbers, 33 have no dynamic indications while only 14 specify speed. Nevertheless Bělský believes that „from the character of the music, it is clear that we are dealing almost entirely with a work in fast, allegro tempo.“ His conjectural restoration of the missing markings is added to the score in square brackets.
Let’s now dispense with an irritating technical flaw. First and second violins are placed on either side of the podium (as they should be) but the firsts aren’t always stable. They tend to move within their own area but, worse, sometimes merge with the seconds on the right. Otherwise the recording is very good: spacious with no gimmicky close-ups to give the period instruments a bad sound and the solo singers an artificial presence.
One thing is certain; Zelenka often taxes the singers. For instance, in No 28 (marked Andante by the composer), the soprano has to hold a single syllable in slow-moving semiquavers over five bars and later, another syllable over six. Hlavenková rides the difficulties with aplomb, but her artistic and technical accomplishments, and those of the other singers, all of whom are of similar probity, might not have been shown to such advantage without such a considerate conductor. Throughout the performance, Štryncl’s pacing of the music and balancing of dynamics show concern not only for his colleagues but also for making sense of the words themselves. His ability to float a flexible rhythm is keen, though, occasionlly, he veers towards rigidity. The other side of this sensitivity, however, is a reticence that underplays the full splendour of some ceremonial numbers. Brass and drums are a tad subdued.
It’s a small point, given such richness of content. Look out, too, for those remarkable arias that pit solo instruments against singers, particularly No 22 where a chalemeau (precursor of the clarinet, here played by Christian Leitherer) duets with a soprano. It is also a piece where the dal segno is exclusively instrumental and Leitherer resourcefully embellishes his line in the reiterated section.
So there you have it, a magnificent work. And Zelenka, anticipating Haydn, signed off with the words „Laus Deo“. Most appropriate – which is another way of saying that this set is a significant addition to the recorded repertoire. Do listen and delight in what it has to offer.

Magazine Fanfare (published in the US) No. 2 – November/December 2001

ZELENKA Sub olea pacis et palma virtutis, ZWV175

Marek Štryncyl, cond; Noémi Kiss, Anna Hlavenková (sop); Markus Forster (ct); Jaroslav Brezina, Adam Zdunikowski (ten); Aleš Procházka (bs); Musica Aeterna; Ensemble Philidor; Czech Boys Choir; Musica Florea (period instruments) • SUPRAPHON SU 3520-2232 (2 CDs: 95:11 TT)

Notwithstanding Marek Štryncl’s defense of the philosophical ethos lying behind Sub olea, listeners to this recording of Zelenka’s contribution are likely to have problems in gaining any real understanding of what the work is about. It would have been some help had Supraphon provided a synopsis of the play. Certain references even seem unintentionally ironic. In the final aria of the Prologue, for instance, Divine Providence refers to the “Noble House of Austria”, being “progeny of the blood of Wenceslas”, a curious assertion given that permanent Habsburgs rights to the Bohemian throne had been forced on the unwilling Bohemian estates by Ferdinand II (himself rather obscurely referred to later in the work) no more that exactly a century before the coronation of Charles VI. No matter, no doubt the pious and ceremony-loving Charles loved the whole farrago, while we can at least enjoy Zelenka’s music, much of which is not only of exciting brilliance, but also of high quality.
In addition to the Prologue, there are three acts and an epilogue, both the latter and the final act consisting of a licenza in praise of the attendant royalty, and which brings the work to a suitably festive and ceremonial close. The chorus is used sparingly, being with only a couple of exceptions restricted to the opening and closing of the work. The former is a militaristic piece set to a bloodthirsty text from Exodus. Decked out with trumpet and drum fanfares, it also displays Zelenka’s skill as a contrapuntist, while the chorus which rounds the work off is also fugal and predictably has brilliant parts for trumpets and timpani. Otherwise, we have a succession of recitatives and arias, most of them demanding pieces in da capo form that are also, not surprisingly with this composer, full of imaginative and colorful touches of orchestration.
The best music is to be found in Acts I and II, with the undoubted “hit number” being the Angel’s “Ave, Deus, ave” (No.22; Act 2), coincidentally the longest aria in the work. Over light string chords, a solo chalumeau announces a wonderful cantabile melody, before being joined by the soprano, who later duets with this loveliest of instruments to exquisite effect. Both playing and singing (Hlavenková) match the beauty of the music. Hlavenková is also charming in the long aria given to Divine Providence that concludes Act II (No. 28), spinning out the long lyrical lines very prettily. Her fellow soprano Noémi Kiss also makes a positive impression, particularly in Eucharistic Zeal’s tender “En! Pietas adamis” (Lo, diamond of devotion) (Prologue; No. 5). Brezina is markedly the superior of the two tenor soloists, effectively encompassing the dramatic contrast between A and B sections in the Italianate “Veni, Auster lux perennis” (Act II, No.24). The remaining soloists are more variable, countertenor Forster (Devotion) experiencing problems with some of the most bravura writing in the work, Procházka a strong bass, but not too reliable as to intonation. Štryncl’s direction of his large orchestra is excellent. If some of the playing lacks the technical finesse one expects from west European period instrument ensembles, the sheer commitment and musicality provide more than adequate compensation.
I think the curious genre into which Sub olea falls will prevent it from becoming one of Zelenka’s more essential works (at least outside Czechoslovakia), but there is more than enough here to remind us that the composer was indeed both highly original and one of the most “lavishly gifted composers of his generation”. For that reason alone Zelenka enthusiasts will certainly wish to add this generally excellent performance to their collection.

Brian Robins

REVIEW - CONCERTS

LEBENDIGKEIT UND FREUDE AM SPIEL

Kölnische Rundschau, 23. August 2000

3. Festkonzert zum Thema "Bach und Habsburg": Ensemble Musica Florea aus Prague zu Gast in Brühl

Historische Instrumente haben ihre Tücken, vor allem dann, wenn sie feuchtwarmer Witterung ausgesetzt sind. Ständiges Nachstimmen ist da unerlässlich, doch damit haben die Musiker des in Prag beheimateten Ensembles Musica Florea langjährige Erfahrung. 1992 gründete der Cellist Marek Stryncl die Formation, die sich innerhalb der Festwoche im Schloss Augustusburg am Montag dem Thema "Bach und Habsburg" widmete. Dem barocken Großmeister hatte Musica Florea Werke von Johann Josef Fux, Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber und Georg Muffat zur seite gestellt.
Fux wirkte unter Leopold I. und dessen Sohn Karl IV. in der ersten Hälften des 18. Jahrhunderts als Hofkomponist und Oberkapellmeister am Wiener Kaiserhof, wo er neben repräsentativer Kirchenmusik auch elegante Suiten im granzösischen Stil komponierte. Mit der Suite Nr. 5 in C-Dur sorgte Musica Florea für einen festlichtänzerischen Einstieg in das Programm. Der stumpfe, aufgerauhte Klang der Originalinstrumente bürgt dabei für eine authentische Wiedergabe von eigenwillingem Reiz. Spielfreude und Lebendigkeit vereinten sich bei der Interpretation der fünf Tanzsätze und vorangestellter Ouvertüre mit versierter Technik.
Das Ricercare aus Bachs "Musikalichem Opfer" gilt als Musterbeispiel variativer Techniken. Die Prager Musiker boten das wohl bedeutendste Teilstück der Friedrich II. gewidmeten Komposition zwar tadellos, konnten es aber nicht seiner akademischen Sprödigkeit entheben.
Nicht eindeutig geklärt ist die Identität des Autors der Suite g-Moll BWV 1070, die mit einiger Wahrscheinlichkeit von Bachs ältestem Sohn Wilhelm Friedmann stammt. Hier profilierte sich neben der Cembalisten Iva Strynclova einmal mehr die sicher führende Konzertmeisterin Dagmar Valentová, die ihre stehend musizierenden Kollegen mit unveränderlicher Sicherheit durch die charakteristischen Tanzsätze führte. So entstanden im Tempo und Rhythmus schön austarierte Klangbilder, unter denen das "Menuetto alternativo" besonders hübsch gelang.
Am Salzburger Hof waren zur gleichen Zeit Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber und Georg Muffat tätig, deren Werke nach der Pause erklangen. Nicht ganz lupenrein gelang den Streichern Bibers volkstümliche Komposition, bei der sie die bäuerlichderbe Note mit rhythmischem Fußstampfen akzentuierten.
Georg Muffats Concerto grosso G-Dur wiest unverkennbar italienische Einflüsse auf, denn bei einer Reise nad Rom wurde er mit Corelli bakannt. Hier gelang Musica Florea in den fünf raffiniert gebauten Sätzen ein klangvolles Zusammenspiel von Soli und Tutti. Anhaltenden Aplaus gab es dafür vom Publikum und als Zugabe einen Tanz aus einer der Ballet-Musiken Muffats.

Hanna Styrie
Kölnische Rundschau, 23. August 2000