Carus-Verlag's excellent Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Herr Gott, dich loben wir makes its bow in 2009, the bicentenary of Mendelssohn's birth. Even a reasonably casual classical music listener might be surprised to learn just how much Mendelssohn they might have gained without really trying, as his symphonic works, the most popular pieces among the Songs without Words and even the oratorio Elijah, are so generally prevalent in Western literature. But things like his choral/orchestral psalm settings, sacred cantatas, and other church music aren't exactly at the top of the Mendelssohn hit parade, even as they are recorded with some frequency. Perhaps some of these things should be, judging from the fine performances they receive under the care of conductor
Frieder Bernius, the
Kammerchor Stuttgart, and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen in this collection. This Carus-Verlag disc is subtitled "Church Music IX" and corresponds to a series of CDs that also represent volumes in a comprehensive printed edition Carus-Verlag has undertaken of all of Mendelssohn's sacred vocal music, still in progress when this volume appeared. No expense has been spared in preparing these recordings -- among the soloists one may locate the name of
Monica Groop, and she sounds splendid here, as does soprano Andrea Lauren Brown -- and the SACD sound as is realistic as the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen is tight in their realization of Mendelssohn's busy orchestral accompaniments.
One need not advance very far into the opening of the chorus of Mendelssohn's sacred cantata Ach Gott, von Himmel sieh darein to experience the effect of Johann Sebastian Bach's music on Mendelssohn, with its daring chromaticism and faultless distribution of polyphonic parts among voices. What is more remarkable is not just that Mendelssohn was so influenced by Bach, but that he was able to internalize these techniques so well. It is the larger psalm settings (Nos. 95, 98) and cantatas (Ach Gott, the unique Hymne, Op. 96, and Herr Gott, dich loben wir) that stand out here; the Hymne contains a principal part for alto and this is where
Monica Groop's involvement is particularly noteworthy. There is a scattering of English language material throughout the program, including short, unaccompanied renderings of psalms and the popular Christmas carol "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing." The singing on these selections is transparent and beautiful, but even with some English speakers present, the English itself isn't rendered with much clarity, with too-rounded vowels, soft consonants, and rolled "Rs" abound. However, this will only prove an issue if you are an English singer, and the quality of ensemble is of such a high order that it might not even if you are. However, where Carus-Verlag's Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Herr Gott, dich loben wir is most likely to make a difference is if you have only a mediocre appreciation of Mendelssohn, then this disc is liable to change that.