Brahms;Johannes Ein Deutsches

 

 

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Of all the works in this genre with which I am familiar, none is imbued with less drama and more spirituality. It touches the soul of the listener but rarely raises his adrenaline. In some ways this makes it a little difficult to sit through, and it takes a sensitive conductor to compel the attention that this always serious composition requires for its appreciation. In this respect, Abbado is its ideal interpreter. He never pushes the music, but allows it to flow and expand without fuss or drama. His approach is solemn and respectful, and he does ratchet up the volume and intensity on the rare occasions when the text and music require it. I have several pre-DVD versions ( by Klemperer, Von Karajan and Sinopoli, of which the last is my favourite). Musically, the present performance is less dramatic and more contemplative ----- no worse and no better ------ but certainly different. What we have here is of course the pleasure of actually seeing the music unfold visually, and what a pleasure it is. The camera work is superb. Never has this august concert hall looked more magisterial. Rarely have the excellent instrumentalists and ensembles of brass and strings of the Berlin Phil been captured by the camera with greater clarity; their virtuosity and technical skills create an exciting visual display even when the music itself is the very antithesis of excitement. The work of the Swedish Radio Choir is also imaginatively captured by the cameras. Abbado's conducting is undemonstrative, and although he obtains splendid results, the manner by which he obtains them is really of little interest: those seeking a display of pyrotechnics will be disappointed. He neither bullies or exhorts: gentle persuasion is the essence of his art. Of the two soloists, Bryn Terfel turns in a thoroughly convincing performance------ rich and sonorous in tone, expressive and eloquent in its enunciation of the text. Barbara Bonney is less at home in this musical form. She sings beautifully, her voice is pure and bright, but there is no sadness or sense of loss here, so that the emotional impact of what she is singing becomes diminished. The sound quality is adequate by modern standards but no more. I had to raise the volume moreso than in most of my DVDs to obtain a satisfactory sound quality, and even then, considerable reverberation was evident in the high notes of the brass and the soprano. No extras are offered, and the booklet is quite basic, but subtitles in several languages are available; those in English are generous in size without in any way interfering with the picture content. In summary, a good performance that will satisfy most, but not by any means the definitive version.

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