Heinrich Schütz didn’t write a work titled Christmas Vespers, but the important Lutheran church celebrations of the feast of Christmas in late-17th century Dresden included an elaborate vesper service that began Christmas afternoon. This service traditionally involved huge amounts of music, performed by choir, organ, and various orchestral instruments. Typically, there were hymns–sung by the congregation–as well as psalm settings, versicles and responses, a Magnificat (interspersed with carols), and one or more larger musical works. Paul McCreesh and his Gabrieli Consort attempt here to reconstruct what one of those vesper services would have been like, specifically around 1664, when Schütz published his magnificent Christmas Story–an extended work for soloists, chorus, and a remarkable instrumental ensemble whose varied “colors” help to illustrate the events and characters. We also hear two wonderful Christmas hymns by Martin Luther, a couple of organ pieces, and a Schütz psalm setting (“Warum toben die Heiden”) and Magnificat (with some delightful carols between sections). On its face, everything regarding performance and sound is fine, top drawer, first rate–with special mention for the Magnificat and carols. But when compared with Frieder Bernius’ excellent rendition of the Christmas Story on Sony Vivarte, McCreesh and his perfectly good performers sound dull. Bernius gets a lot more drama and passion from his soloists, including more convincing inflection in the recitatives. The ensemble work is tighter and somehow more richly colored, and the overall sonic atmosphere more vibrant and natural. You won’t go wrong with McCreesh, especially because of the interesting program and the inclusion of rarely heard music of the period. If you just want the best version of the Christmas Story, go with Bernius and his Kammerchor Stuttgart.
