Composer
Hugo Distler
had a conservative style that endeared his music to Nazi cultural authorities. However, the stress of the situation weighed on him, and he eventually committed suicide during World War II. His shorter pieces show up in the repertories of choirs, especially in Germany, but his larger works are rarer.
Die Weihnachtsgeschichte
("
The Christmas Story
") is an unusual item, an a cappella Christmas oratorio. Several large German choirs have recorded it, but this reading by
Concert Clemens
and its director,
Carsten Seyer-Hansen
, has much to recommend it. The group is small and appropriate to the reflective nature of the music and to the varied harmonic palette of
Distler
's music. The inspiration for
is the oratorio style of
Schuetz
, with its rhythmically free, recitative-like Evangelist's part interspersed among more metrically regular sections for the choir. The texts are biblical or drawn from German chorales or hymns, but
expands the harmonic language with quartal intervals and dissonances. It is a flexible language that captures the development of the story in a concise, powerful way.
is a precise yet expressive group, and they are quite persuasive; one would enjoy hearing them in
Arvo Paert
or other contemporary virtuoso repertory. The
OUR Recordings
label contributes idiomatic sound from Copenhagen's St. Mark's church. Those in search of an offbeat and beautifully executed Christmas album will find it here. ~ James Manheim