Audite Nova perform rarely heard oratorio by Louis Spohr

There were two performances of ‘Die letzten Dinge’ by Louis Spohr in the Unterägeri parish church over the weekend. Under the direction of Philipp Schmidlin, the Audite Nova Zug choir and the Zug Sinfonietta gave a stylish and atmospheric interpretation of this great oratorio.

Louis Spohr (1784-1859) was one of the most famous composers of his era. His oratorio ‘Die letzten Dinge’ (The last judgement) was repeatedly performed after its premiere in 1826, sometimes also in an English version. Although it was considered to be of equal musical value, it was increasingly superseded in the following decades by the oratorios by Joseph Haydn and Felix Mendelssohn, which have remained better known.

Louis Spohr is the most important composer to have set large parts of the Revelation of St. John to music - understandably, as the original is only suitable for dramatisation to a limited extent. With the choice of text, the first half seemed coherent in itself, but quite static in structure. Over many numbers, ritornello-like choral interludes mingled with the soloists' passages, which were to be understood as recitatives. Philipp Schmidlin's conducting further emphasised this: the dynamics avoided any sharp contrasts and the whole orchestra always played along, regardless of the vocal line-up.

It was only with the long bass recitative at the beginning of the second part that a sharp contrast arose, supported not only by the excellent performance of soloist Balduin Schneeberger but also by the fact that the composer left the Book of Revelation and used longer interpolations from the Old Testament prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah. Subsequently, the conclusion with the reconciliation also seemed internally logical.

Meticulous preparation
An oratorio by Louis Spohr has probably not been performed in the canton of Zug for decades. This made the large audience and the stylistically appropriate and musically outstanding interpretation all the more pleasing. Once again, Philipp Schmidlin, in the spirit of his predecessors Johannes Meister and Paul Kälin, had meticulously prepared the Audite Nova Zug choir for its task over a period of months. Once again, impeccable intonation and concise pronunciation were convincing. Especially in the structure of the choral part, it was clear that Louis Spohr had practical experience with amateur choirs in addition to his activities as a composer and violin virtuoso. The tonal balance with the accompanying orchestra was always achieved without any problems.

Performing a grand Spohr oratorio under the direction of Philipp Schmidlin: the Audite Nova choir with the four soloists and the Zuger Sinfonietta        Photo: Audite Nova Zug
Soprano Chelsea Zurflüh during one of her solo performances    Photo: Roger Zbinden / Neue Luzerner Zeitung

As is known from correspondence, Spohr also wanted independent instrumental development opportunities in addition to the accompanying tasks in his oratorios. The evening began with a longer opening piece in the style of a French overture, and the ‘Sinfonia’ at the end of the first part also drew in part on Baroque stylistic elements. But there were no months of preparation here, however: the professionals of the Zug Sinfonietta achieved the well-rounded overall sound in just a few joint rehearsals after extensive individual practice.
 

Homogeneous solo singing
The choice of the vocal soloists, who appeared homogeneous as a quartet, was also well made. The composer had paid less attention to a natural balance, however, and there were several exposed brass solos in recitatives, and even several timpani rolls on one occasion., The soprano Chelsea Zurflüh was able to hold her own without any obvious forcing, however, thanks to her concise vocalisation.

Although Spohr had not written the solo parts for vocal brilliance, the decades of soloistic experience of tenor Nino Aurelio Gmünder was palpable, explicitly in the furious entry ‘Die Stunde des Gerichts’, (The hour of judgement) for example. The voice of Salome Cavegn, the alt soloist, showed a resounding promise for the future; it is a pity that her noble alto did not have another chance to shine.