The disc’s title refers to 19th-century “romanticism”–specifically of the German variety–and the composers who adhered to its principles, and not to any aspects of love and courtship that modern listeners might more likely associate with the term “Romantic”. Specifically, this repertoire represents styles of choral music that appealed to mass audiences in both concert hall and church, most of which consists of settings of existing tunes and already well-known texts. Most importantly, this is a first-rate Christmas choral recording that offers many rarely heard selections along with some surprisingly familiar ones. Surprising because in their German-language context many English-speaking listeners may not recognize some of these pieces by their titles–but when you hear Friedrich Silcher’s “Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe”, the familiar Anglican processional tune by Melchior Teschner (known as “All glory, laud, and honor”) suddenly appears. We also hear In dulci jubilo, not in the commonly performed Pearsall, Praetorius, or Bach versions, but one by Max Reger. Indeed, a large portion of this program is devoted to Reger’s beautifully scored chorales from his 12 German Sacred Songs collection.
The little carol “Schlaf, mein Kindelein” is also known in a French version, “Dors, ma colombe”, and Silcher’s “Herbei, o ihr Gläub’gen” turns out to be the beloved “O come, all ye faithful”–sublimely harmonized. There are other happy discoveries here, none so satisfying as Gruber’s universally treasured “Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht!” in a gorgeous setting by none other than (Brahms’ friend) Eusebius Mandyczewski. And speaking of Brahms, we might suspect Albert Becker (1834-99) of “borrowing” a few licks from his near-exact contemporary’s Requiem in the opening section of “Das Volk, das im Finstern wandelt”, followed by an equally shameless (and decently rendered) copy of a Bach chorale setting. Other highlights include the opening “Tröster mein Volk” by the virtually unknown Eduard Nössler, a sophisticated piece of choral writing that deserves wider hearing, and Reger’s tender setting of the lovely “O Jesulein süß”, best known in its Bach harmonization and English translation “O little one sweet”. The singing, by the excellent RIAS-Kammerchor, is faultless, perfectly capturing the spirit of the music and presenting these a cappella works with consistently well-balanced, well-tuned ensemble. The sound is a bit too resonant to provide utmost clarity and detail, but it’s not at all detrimental to enjoyment of the performances or appreciation of this unusual and engaging program. A must for all Christmas choral music fans. [11/09/2002]
