There is a DVD available of Nikolaus Harnoncourt leading the Concertgebouw in Beethoven’s Missa solemnis that I previously reviewed for Classicstoday.com (see reviews archive): it is grand, thrilling, exquisitely played, and filled with all the razzle-dazzle you could need in this work. Why then, would Harnoncourt, in his last days, want this new performance put down for posterity?
Well, first of all, it’s with his own band and choir, on period instruments (with their softer makeup) at A=415, and more importantly (my guess is), the new one is more devotional, less extroverted overall, and particularly seeking and inward. That means, say, that even after the wild first minute of the Gloria, the “et in terra pax” is amazingly subdued, as has been the Kyrie. The “glorificamus te”, an outburst of belief, is just that. In other words, the text and Beethoven’s changes in emphasis, doubts, and fears are all taken very literally: Harnoncourt takes nothing for granted and avoids bombast at every turn.
Big moments are big because the supplicant’s cry needs to be heard. He conducts almost without his own thoughts and eccentricities and takes Beethoven at his word, dynamics, and note values. Beethoven scribbled “with devotion” in the score a dozen times, and Harnoncourt is here devoted to Beethoven.
I certainly wouldn’t call it subdued, however–it’s just temperate. The Gloria in general is joyful but never maniacal; it’s never on the verge of spinning out of control. The opening of the Credo never leaves the concept of believing in doubt. The “et resurrexit” is full of wonderment, the orchestra and chorus do a dance right after the a cappella section. “Et vitam venturi” is spotless and clear, sopranos bouncing off their high notes with grace, and the big fugue is a blaze of colors and punctuation marks. The violin solo in the Benedictus enters as if it doesn’t wish to intrude; the quiet singing of the soloists that follows is ravishing. The Agnus Dei is grief stricken.
The solo quartet is light-voiced but substantial, making their roles sound less strenuous than can normally be the case, particularly in the examples of Laura Aikan’s lovely soprano and Johannes Chum’s sweet-toned tenor. The chorus is spectacular and so is the orcherstra–a veritable extension of Harnoncourt’s arm. The sound is devoid of any glare, even in the brassiest passages, but clear and thrilling nonetheless. A unique Missa solemnis, up there with its great, bigger brothers under Otto Klemperer (EMI) and Bernstein (DG).
