Why is it so? We
are at Thomaskirche for a Motette as we were just yesterday.
Strictly, there is some Bach but there's no cantata and it's not that
the music is not interesting, it's just not Bach and Bach is sort of
expected at Thomaskirche. This was more monophony: Renaissance,
limited harmony, limited movement of lines, still beautiful but I
imagine the composers, mostly 40 years or so BB (Before Bach) might
have slit their wrists on hearing the new boy in town. Otherwise, I
might have luxuriated in the simple lines, the authenticity, the
glorious high sopranos (to F#5 if I got it right), the largely
unaccompanied purity of the voice. And this was a session to listen
rather than partake of with just one Gemendelied, our congregational
singalong that I so love. I shouldn't question a decision that
promotes variation, even if not of complex interleaving parts. The
Ensemble Amadeus was performing and they were really very beautiful
with those simpler musical lines of hardly similar times, with
singers and just a few instrumentalists (violin, viola, viola da
gamba, basso [continuo]) and a visiting organist on the night. I
have yet to learn of the ways of Thomaskirche. But then walking back
to our stay, another demo in Marktplaz. Germany does have them and
good on a culture that does have some outspoken politics. This was a
Palestinian outing to match the Israeli outing of the other night in
the same square. This was noisy chanting and flags rather than the
quiet names lists. Still plenty of cops around and we saw them
readying for action when one argument was threatening. I'd read
something today about the Germans and their support through guilt (if
I read correctly) after the Holocaust. Yes, something to answer for
there, and I respect their preparedness to honesty respond. Let's
see a similar preparedness on both sides of this current war to
recognise the pain of each of their actions.
The Ensemble Amadeus performed for a service at Thomaskirche, Leipzig, under Norman Kastner (musical director) with Ivo Mrvelj (organ).
No comments:
Post a Comment