Period Beethoven Program Charms All

BEETOVEN SPECTACULAR

Handel and Haydn Society

Conducted by Christopher Hogwood

At Symphony Hall

Oct. 16

Beethoven's Egmont Overture--massive sound, intensely impassioned playing, all of the raging emotion of the Romantic era packed into a nine-minute punch that should simply overwhelm you with its sheer volume of sound and feeling. Sound right? Not if you were Christopher Hogwood and you were directing the Handel and Haydn Society's all-Beethoven concert last Friday. Hogwood's Period Instrument Orchestra presented Beethoven as he would have been heard in the early 1800s, offering the listeners a challenging yet very satisfying way of experiencing his music.

The concert, at Symphony Hall, opened with Beethoven's Egmont Overture. It was obvious from the get-go that this was not the Beethoven of Bernstein's New York Philharmonic or Solti's Chicago Symphony. The first powerful f minor chord, an expression of force that often drowns the listener with its weight, had a subdued, chamber-like quality not normally associated with the work. The timbre of the period woodwinds, as heard in their ensuing dialogue, differed slightly from the sound of a modern performance. This distinction in tone colors became more noticeable in the well-executed solo horn sections towards the end of the piece. The horns' clarion crispness may have shocked listeners accustomed to the rounder, fuller sound of a modern horn.

Hogwood's controlled and more restrained interpretation makes more sense when considered historically. Beethoven wrote this piece in 1810 as incidental music for Goethe's play Egmont, a story of enlightened monarchy struggling against despotic oppression. Who today would ever think to characterize Beethoven's Egmont as "incidental," as just some minor work, secondary to some greater artistic creation? Modern audiences are so used to hearing this piece by itself, that we forget it was meant to summarize the important themes of a play and to warm up the audience. Even if at times the orchestra's execution lacked a certain precision, Hogwood's interpretation gave credence to the label "overture" and prepared the audience, and the orchestra as well, for the rest of the concert.

Following the overture, in her Boston debut, the soprano Christine Brewer sang Beethoven's concert aria Ah! Perfido. Brewer navigated the recitative, an abandoned woman's diatribe against her lover, with confidence and ease. The first slow half of the subsequent aria showcased her delicate control and artistry in the upper register. The second half, speckled with piercing cries directed against the faithless lover, called for a quicker, more agitated approach, which Brewer delivered well. The aria closed on a satisfying note with the reprise of the first theme. Throughout the piece, the intimate quality of the period orchestra proved to be a good match for the soprano. The accompaniment, for the most part, managed to stay out of the way of the singer and maintained a balanced sound.

During the following intermission, which was almost as long as the 20-minute first half of the program, some audience members, obviously very impressed with Brewer's performance, wondered if the soloists for the Mass in C, the work that would comprise the second half of the program, would be out-done by Brewer. Fortunately, this did not turn out to be the case.

In the second half of the program, mezzo-soprano Paula Rasmussen, tenor Richard Clemont and bass Nathan Berg joined Christine Brewer along with the Handel and Haydn Society Chorus. The work, Beethoven's Mass in C, was definitely the highlight of the evening. Written in 1807 on a commission from Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy II, this was Beethoven's first setting of the Mass, and was a complete failure in the prince's eyes. Perhaps he did not appreciate Beethoven's extensive text painting (creating musical pictures of the text), and his application of personal feelings to the various parts of the mass.

From the opening of the Kyrie, the ensemble maintained an excellent balance. The orchestra's restrained style again suited the vocal lines. There was never the sense that the orchestra had to consciously play more quietly to preserve the primacy of the choir. To underscore the character of resignation and repentance of the Kyrie text, Beethoven alternated rising vocal lines and rising instrumental lines that seem to reach up in supplication towards the heavens.

In sharp contrast to the almost mournful Kyrie, the Gloria began in an exuberant burst of energy from the entire chorus and orchestra. Celebrating the glory of God, Beethoven managed to represent this feeling of joyful gratitude through a wide variety of tonal colors and a quicker tempo. It was in the solo sections of the Gloria that the audience first got to really hear the warm, haunting voice of mezzo-soprano Rasmussen, a good match for Brewer's soprano.

The Credo best exemplified Beethoven's gifts for text-painting. In a description of Christ's resurrection, the chorus vividly repeated the word "descendit," (he descended) in a motif that alternated between the orchestra and chorus. The forceful repetitions ended with a descending solo clarinet figure. This line, which was unfortunately marred by a bad note, fell, as if from the heavens, to the pure tones of the unaccompanied quartet intoning the "Et incarnatus..." The Credo ended on a lighter note with a playful fugue on the text of "Et vitam venturi saeculi," (and the life of the world to come.), inspired by Bach's similar usage in his Mass in b minor. Brewer and Clemont's capricious interplay, along with the matching figures in the winds, added a touch of lightheartedness to contrast with the introspective mood of the Credo.

After the Sanctus and Benedictus, the concert closed on the final part of the Mass, the Agnus Dei. Antony Pay's flawless clarinet solos blended well with the alternating vocal sections, and a distinctive period horn sound, in some very well played passages, filled out the instrumental solo sections. The combination of orchestra, chorus, solo vocal and solo instrumental lines in this final piece created a very pleasing sense of unity to end the concert. The only real problem with the program was that with only 60 minutes of music, it was not enough.