ESTONIAN PHILHARMONIC CHAMBER CHOIR MENDELSSOHN DANIEL REUSS PSALMS KREEK 1 FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809–1847) 1 Psalm 100 “Jauchzet dem Herrn, alle Welt”, Op. 69/2 4’27 CYRILLUS KREEK (1889–1962) 2 Psalm 22 “Mu Jumal! Mikspärast oled Sa mind maha jätnud?” 4’27 FELIX MENDELSSOHN 3 Psalms, Op. 78: 3 Psalm 2 “Warum toben die Heiden” 7’29 4 Psalm 43 “Richte mich, Gott” 4’31 5 Psalm 22 “Mein Gott, warum hast du mich verlassen?” * 8’08 * TIIT KOGERMAN, tenor CYRILLUS KREEK 6 Psalm 141 “Issand, ma hüüan Su poole” 2’27 7 Psalm 104 “Kiida, mu hing, Issandat!” 2’28 8 “Õnnis on inimene” 3’26 9 Psalm 137 “Paabeli jõgede kaldail” 6’40 FELIX MENDELSSOHN 10 “Hebe deine Augen” (from: Elijah, Op. 70) 2’16 11 “Denn er hat seinen Engeln befohlen” (from: Elijah, Op. 70) 3’32 12 “Wie selig sind die Toten”, Op. 115/1 3’30 2 CYRILLUS KREEK Sacred Folk Songs: 13 “Kui suur on meie vaesus” 2’43 14 “Jeesus kõige ülem hää” 1’54 15 “Armas Jeesus, Sind ma palun” 2’31 16 “Oh Jeesus, sinu valu” 2’03 17 “Mu süda, ärka üles” 1’43 ESTONIAN PHILHARMONIC CHAMBER CHOIR DANIEL REUSS, conductor Publishers: Carus-Verlag (Mendelssohn), SP Muusikaprojekt (Kreek) Recording: Haapsalu Dome Church, Estonia, 14–17.9.2009 Executive Producer: Reijo Kiilunen Recording and Post Production: Florian B. Schmidt ℗ 2012 Ondine Oy, Helsinki © 2012 Ondine Oy, Helsinki Booklet Editor: Elke Albrecht Translations to English: Kaja Kappel/Phyllis Anderson (liner notes), Kaja Kappel (tracks 13-17) Photos: Kaupo Kikkas (Niguliste Church in Tallinn – Front Cover; Daniel Reuss); Tõnis Padu (Haapsalu Dome Church) Design: Armand Alcazar 3 PSALMS BY FELIX MENDELSSOHN Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809–1847) was born in Germany into a family with Jewish roots; his grandfather was the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, his father a banker. His talent became apparent already at an early age; he played the piano, painted, wrote poetry and could speak various languages. Several great figures of his day, including Robert Schumann and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, called him the Mozart of the 19th century. Later, his multiple talents caused many to draw parallels with the great men of the Renaissance since, in addition to composing, he was also a renowned conductor, an acclaimed pianist and organist, a talented artist and well known for his refined tastes in literature and philosophy. Although a man of the Romantic era, he was mainly influenced by the past rather than his contemporaries Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Wagner and Verdi. Bach, Handel and Mozart were his paragons; his teacher Carl Friedrich Zelter was perhaps the sole exception. Mendelssohn composed music in various genres, including five symphonies, among them, the ‘Italian’ and ‘Scottish’, oratorios (St Paul, 1836; Elijah, 1846), piano music, such as the books of Lieder ohne Worte, the Violin Concerto in E minor, secular and sacred choral works, solo songs and overtures, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the popular wedding march. His bright, happy music is light-hearted and graceful, with clear, romantically passionate fairy tale-like subjectivity. Mendelssohn also made history as the initiator of a widespread revival of interest in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and a promoter on the German music scene. In 1829, when he was only 20, he conducted the first performance of Bach’s St Matthew Passion after the composer’s death. In 1835 he became the conductor of one of the most prestigious orchestras in the world – the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra – and in 1843 he established the Leipzig Conservatory, the first conservatory in Germany. Although Mendelssohn’s life was short – he died in Leipzig at the age of 38 – he is considered the most cheerful composer of the 19th century, since luck and success seemed to prevail both in his private and professional lives. In 1842, the King of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm IV, offered Mendelssohn the post of Kapellmeister in Berlin. In addition to numerous concerts and the duties connected with the conservatory in Leipzig, the composer also devoted a great deal of attention and energy to composing the kind of music 4 his new job required. The Three Psalms, op. 78, composed in 1843–1844, are regarded as an outstanding achievement among his choral works. They exude beauty, peace and love for the human voice. In these works Mendelssohn obviously preferred a more abstract approach to soundscapes à la Liszt. He does not try to illustrate each word separately with the help of musical images but rather fuses the text into beautiful harmony and a tight structure. Psalm 2 “Warum toben die Heiden?” (Why rage fiercely the heathen?) was finished on 15 December 1843 for performance at a Christmas Eve service. The work opens with an antiphon and contains a four-part canon. Psalm 43 “Richte mich, Gott” (Judge me, o God) was completed on 3 January 1844. The first section is an antiphon for male and female choirs, and the final section is based on musical material from an earlier work by Mendelssohn, Psalm 42, Op. 42 (1837). The most tragic of the three parts of op. 78 is Psalm 22 “Mein Gott, warum hast du mich verlassen?” (My God, why, o why hast Thou forsaken me?) from early 1844, composed for the Good Friday service. The work of different characters and colours opens with doleful, anguished reverie in E minor, continuing with a song of praise in the major key to a deeply meditative close. The integrity, simplicity and clarity of the work made it special in its day. Mendelssohn composed at least three variants of the text of Psalm 100, a psalm of praise. The best known is “Jauchzet dem Herrn, alle Welt” (Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth), Op. 69/2 for choir and soloists, which dates from either 1842 or 1844 according to different sources. Written in a radiant C major, the homophonic work of beautiful harmony gains power with dynamic contrasts and the alternation of tutti and solo parts. “Hebe deine Augen” (Lift thine eyes) is actually from one of the most popular and frequently performed of his works – the oratorio Elijah, Op. 70, commissioned by the Birmingham Festival in 1846 and conducted by the composer on 26 August of the same year. The oratorio reflects Mendelssohn’s craft and ability to combine the typical features of Baroque music with the dramaticism of the Romantic period. The divine nature of the a cappella trio of angels “Hebe deine Augen” is conveyed through the clarity and beauty of the sound, enchanting in its originality, and belongs to the international choral repertoire as an independent work. The motet for two choirs on the text of Psalm 91 “Denn er hat seinen Engeln befohlen” (For He will command His angels concerning you) was written in August of 1844. The four-voice work for male choirs “Wie selig sind die Toten” (Blessed are the departed) was composed in 1833 as the first part of 2 Sacred Choruses, Op. 115. This primarily homophonic work enriched by a few imitations was written on a text in German but later was also performed in Latin as Beati mortui. 5 PSALMS BY CYRILLUS KREEK Cyrillus Kreek (1889–1962) is the youngest of the St Petersburg Conservatory graduates who laid the foundation for Estonian professional music. He was born in the village of Saanika in Läänemaa (West Estonia) to the family of schoolteacher Gustav Kreek. He studied music at the St Petersburg Conservatory, first trombone (1908–1911) and later composition (1911–1916). Kreek lived almost all his life in Haapsalu, where he was employed as a music teacher in gymnasiums and at the Läänemaa Teachers’ Seminar, conducted choirs and promoted local concert life. In 1940–1942 and 1944–1950 he taught music theory at the Tallinn Conservatory. The most important source of inspiration for Kreek was folk music – secular songs, folk tunes and folk hymns that he eagerly collected and thoroughly researched from 1911 onwards. More than 700 of his choral pieces are based on folk music, and he wrote 500 canons based on hymns. There are also over 20 original choral songs on both secular and religious texts. In addition to his primary interest, choral music, he composed several dozen suites for orchestra and chamber ensembles, the majority of which are also instrumentations of his choral works. Perhaps the most outstanding of his vocal-symphonic compositions are the Requiem in C minor (1927) and the cantata Kalevipoeg in the Sorcerer’s Cave (1953). Kreek’s music is for the most part emotionally moderate and balanced in character. His works display a high degree of craftsmanship and diversity in contrapuntal technique and colourful harmony, combined with a strict formal structure and ascetic spirit. Taaveti laulud (Psalms of David) is the title of several choral pieces by Kreek based on texts from the Bible. They build a kind of bridge between his hundreds of folk hymn arrangements and the Requiem – they share requiem-like depth and peace as well as the melodies and clarity characteristic of the north. These psalm settings were written during three different periods. In August of 1923 Kreek wrote three sacred songs, which enchant the listener with their melodies and fresh harmony – Psalm 104 “Kiida, mu hing, Issandat!” (Bless the Lord, my soul!) and Psalm 141 “Issand, ma hüüan Su poole” (O Lord, I call to Thee). These songs are often performed together, since they combine the musical texture and precise expression of the biblical text in music. Psalm 137 “Paabeli jõgede kaldail” (By the rivers of Babylon) was initially completed in September 1938 for male choir and arranged for mixed choir in 1944.