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Beethoven: Christus am ¿¿lberge
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Beethoven: Christus am ¿¿lberge
Current price: $22.99
Barnes and Noble
Beethoven: Christus am ¿¿lberge
Current price: $22.99
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("
"), is
's only oratorio, and it is among the least often played of
's major mature works. It is neither fish nor fowl in a way; despite its religious subject, there is little of the sacred about it, at least until a big fugue comes in to save the day.
was plainly uncomfortable with the recitative-and-aria format he inherited from the Classical-period oratorio and tried various strategies to weave the three characters -- Christ, Peter, and a Seraph -- into a semblance of dramatic action. Conductor
's historically oriented reading, with the
joining his
, emphasizes this dramatic aspect, with pungent period horns playing up the role of the tormented but ultimately heroic Christ. Tenor
is idiomatic and effective in this part, outshining the pitch-insecure
as the Seraph. There may be little reason to choose a new recording over the one done some years ago by
with conductor
and the
; they caught the balances in the work perfectly, and
's performance was a powerhouse, but
's reading opens up new avenues of inquiry. ~ James Manheim