As with the La Brea tar pits or Shelob’s lair, countless innocent amateur choirs have wandered willingly into the dangerous confines of Bruckner’s motets and never come out alive. One choir who did return intact, back in 1985, was the Dresden Kreuzchor (an ensemble of boys and men); and another who transcends Bruckner’s most difficult vocal writing and demanding ensemble technique is this NDR Choir Hamburg. In a few words, Bruckner singing doesn’t get any better than this. All of the critical layers of Bruckner’s inseparably interwoven harmonic/melodic fabric are displayed to maximum effect, while tempos–often the ruin of lesser ensembles–perfectly suit the structural and expressive needs of each work. Not that there is only one way to perform these quantitatively and qualitatively disparate pieces; the Kreuzchor successfully chooses different speeds and takes alternate expressive turns in many of the motets. But if you’re going to move more slowly through the treacherous terrain of Christus factus est or Locus iste, for example (as the Hamburg choir does), you’d better have the vocal strength and stamina to make it work, to say nothing of the stylistic nuances of phrasing and dynamic shaping necessary to give the music its proper impact.
No problem. These singers have what it takes, and they’re recorded in an acoustic that’s just on the edge of being too resonant and spacious but ends up being just right for these magnificent pieces, which themselves–in terms of balances, range, and dynamic contrast–push the boundaries of what can legitimately be done with a cappella voices. The Dresden choir is worth hearing if only for the hair-raisingly stunning treble/soprano singing–but its command of the music’s difficult twists and turns is certainly impressive as well. However, this 2000 recording features sound that’s both vibrant and detailed, and there’s something to be said for the mature sound of adult mixed voices, especially when they’re this focused and ideally attuned to the particular demands of this very exacting music. Bruckner’s definitely not for everyone, but this disc certainly is.
