95089
KUHNAU
COMPLETE ORGAN MUSIC
Stefano Molardi
Johann Kuhnau (1660-1722) CD1 69’56 BIBLISCHE SONATEN Sonata No.1: The Combat between David and Goliath 1. The boasting of Goliath 1’52 2. The trembling of the Israelites at the Appearance of the Giant, and Their Prayer to God 2’30 3. The Courage of David, and His Keen Desire to Repel the Pride of His Terrifying Enemy with the Confidence that He Puts in the Help of God 1’04 4. The Combat Between the Two and their Struggle 0’28 5. The Stone is Thrown from the Slingshot - Goliath Falls 0’26 6. The Flight of the Philistines, who are Pursued and Slain by the Israelites 1’04 7. The Joy of the Israelites over their Victory 1’16 8. The Musical Concert of the Women in Honor of David 1’21 9. The General Rejoicing, and the Dances of Joy of the People 1’51 Sonata No.2: The Melancholy of Saul assuaged by David’s Music 10. The Sadness and the Rage of the King 11. The Restorative Song of David’s Harp 12. The Calm and Contented Soul of Saul Sonata No.3: Jacob’s Wedding 13. The Joy of the Family of Laban at the Arrival of their Kinsman, Jacob 14. The Servitude of Jacob is Indeed Laborious, but it is Lightened by his Love for Rachel 15. The Bridal Song Sung by the Companions of Rachel 16. The Rejoicing for the Wedding, and the Congratulations 17. The Laban’s trick 18. The Bridegroom Loving and Content - His Heart Fortells Him Some Ill He Takes Heart Again - He Becomes Sleepy 19. Disappointment of Jacob for the trick 20. The Rejoicing for the Wedding is Repeated
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8’30 4’02 2’44 5’22 4’00 1’22 1’44 4’25 1’28 1’30 1’28
Sonata No.4: Hezekiah Dying and restored to Health 21. Hezekiah’s Lament for the Death Foretold to Him and His Fervent Prayers 22. His Confidence in God 23. The Joy of the Convalescent King - He Remembers the Ills that are Past He Forgets Them.
4’58 2’33 2’34
24. Ciacona in F minor 6’26 25. Prelude in A minor 4’43 CD2 75’11 BIBLISCHE SONATEN Sonata No.5: Gideon the Saviour of the People of Israel 1. Gideon’s Doubt Concerning the Victory Promised Him by God He Tests It in a Contrary Manner 3’17 2. His Fear, Seeing a Great Army of Enemies Come upon Him 0’27 3. He Takes Heart Again, Hearing What They Had Dreamed of Him Being Expounded To His Enemies 1’11 4. Gideon Encourages his Soldiers 1’18 5. The Sound of Trumpets, or Trombones and the Breaking of the Pitchers, and the Cries of the Fighters 0’53 6. The Flight of Their Enemies, Pursued by the Israelites 0’26 7. Their Joy in the Notable Victory 1’37 Sonata No.6: The Tomb of Jacob 8. The Sorrow of the Sons of Jacob at the bed of their dying Father, somewhat sweetened by his fatherly benediction 9. They Consider the Consequences of this Death 10. The Journey from Egypt to the Land of Canaan 11. The Burial of Israel, and the Sorrowful Lament of Those Present 12. The Souls of the Survivors are Consoled
6’09 2’36 3’13 5’18 3’08
13. Prelude in B flat Major 3’15 14. Prelude in G minor 2’10 15. Fugue in G minor 1’29 3
16. Prelude in D Major 2’10 17. Prelude alla breve in G Major 3’02 18. Prelude in C Major 3’04 19. Prelude in C minor 2’18 20. Prelude in D minor 4’26 21. Prelude in E minor 1’14 Sonata in B flat Major 22. without tempo indication 23. without tempo indication 24. Adagio 25. Allegro 26. Da Capo
2’52 2’25 2’05 0’51 3’01
27. Fuga in C Major 2’57 28. Toccata in A Major 8’03 CD3 FRISCHE CLAVIER FRÜCHTE Sonata No.1 1. without tempo indication 2. Adagio 3. Allegro 4. without tempo indication
75’03 2’48 1’07 1’31 3’24
Sonata No.2 5. without tempo indication 6. Molto Adagio – molto presto – adagio – presto – adagio 7. without tempo indication 8. Adagio 9. without tempo indication
2’49 1’17 1’35 1’04 1’53
Sonata No.3 10. without tempo indication
3’26
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11. Aria 12. without tempo indication 13. Aria 14. without tempo indication
1’40 2’01 2’48 1’28
Sonata No.4 15. Vivace 16. Adagio 17. without tempo indication 18. without tempo indication
3’47 1’58 2’11 1’46
Sonata No.5 19. without tempo indication 20. without tempo indication 21. without tempo indication 22. without tempo indication
2’27 3’12 2’04 2’37
Sonata No.6 23. Ciaccona 24. without tempo indication 25. Vivace 26. without tempo indication 27. Ciaccona da capo
4’18 1’23 2’44 2’15 4’28
Sonata No.7 28. without tempo indication 29. Adagio 30. without tempo indication 31. without tempo indication
3’28 2’04 2’18 2’56
Stefano Molardi organ at the organ of the Freiberger Dom, by Gottfried Silbermann, 1714 (CD1 1-23; CD2 1-26)
at the organ of the Marienkirche, Rötha, by Gottfried Silbermann, 1722 (CD1 24-25; CD2 27-28; CD3)
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Johann Kuhnau is a particularly interesting composer because his work embraces the various trends and musical innovations that developed in Europe between the end of the 17th and the beginning of the 18th century, drawing considerable inspiration from the Affetti typical of Monteverdi and the Italian school. Born into a Lutheran family that had left its native Bohemia on religious grounds, from an early age Johann revealed remarkable musical talent. He had a particular leaning for vocal music, which he studied largely in Dresden, where he went to live in 1670. Here he came into contact with important musicians engaged at the local court, such as the organist C. Kittel, and in particular the Kappellmeister Vincenzo Albrici. His education was culturally widespread, involving studies of Italian, French, Hebrew, Greek, law and mathematics, and while he was studying at Leipzig University he had the opportunity to compose music for various of the city’s churches. So vast and eclectic was his learning that his fame in Leipzig grew apace, to the extent that he was appointed cantor of the Thomaskirche in 1701, at the death of Johann Schelle, the previous incumbent. In next to no time he became a point of musical reference in the city, also thanks to the effort he put into involving the students from the St Thomas school as cantors at the principal church, at the Nikolaikirche and in other city churches. Kuhnau was also an expert organ tuner, testing the Silbermann organs in Freiburg and Rötha. During the following years, however, he had to address various problems relating to the constant decline in the musical conditions of the St Thomas choir, along with his own failing health, and some fierce competition on the part of young musicians who had recently arrived in Leipzig. Two of these were Telemann and Fasch, who organized collegium musicum and with their own compositions and enterprise somewhat overshadowed his authority. When Kuhnau died in 1722, it was J. S. Bach who took over his position as cantor. Kuhnau played a pivotal role in the evolution of music in central Germany. This was partly due to the beauty and refinement of his melodies, the linearity of his harmony, his skilful use of dissonance and the Corelli-like elegance of his compositions. However it also derived from his ability to infuse his music with the 6
fruits of his considerable learning in theology and rhetoric. This is particularly evident in the Sonate Bibliche, which narrate scenes from the Old Testament, with the music describing individual events that relate to the captions Kuhnau wrote, in Italian, into the score. He also provided detailed introductions describing in detail both the episodes he had chosen to interpret in music, and certain musical elements intended to help performers understand the affetti included in the score. Published in 1700, the Sonate Bibliche were the culmination of Kuhnau’s output as a composer, achieving considerable commercial success, as the various editions that were reprinted over the years go to show. They comprise 6 sonatas, each one taken from different episodes from the books of Genesis, Samuel, Isaiah, Kings, Judges and Chronicles. The event narrated in the Sonata No.1 concerns the famous combat between the David, the young warrior poet who was to become King of Israel, and the giant Goliath, the enormous champion of the Philistines, the enemies of the Israelites. Continually challenged and threatened, the Israelites begged David to confront Goliath in battle, though the odds were clearly against him. David had in mind a special manoeuvre, however, which involved striking the giant on the head with a stone hurled from a sling. Everything went according to plan, and the giant fell to the ground, where David was able to cut off his head. At this point the Philistines fled, pursued by the Israelites. The music evokes all these events in a remarkably lively, pictorial fashion: repeated dotted notes with plenty of arpeggios and leaps (the boasting of Goliath - the Giant’s enormous strides as he threatens his foes); repeated notes like a “vibrato d’arco, or “bowed vibrato”, or in the manner of Scheidt’s “imitatione tremula organi”, with the chorale Aus tiefer Not (the trembling of the Israelites) played on the cornet register; repeated notes “alla Monteverdi” along the lines of the Battaglia of the instruments as adopted by Kerll and the Spanish composers; a tirade of fast notes, followed by a grand, noisy catabasis (the stone hurled at Goliath and his fall to the ground); a toccata in ascending and descending scales reminiscent of early Italian music (the Flight of the Philistines); and at the end, some dances to celebrate David’s victory, featuring imitation of the orchestra timpani, played on the pedals for this recording. 7
Kuhnau does not provide detailed instructions regarding the specific type of keyboard instrument, leaving the performer free to choose from the various possibilities: harpsichord, clavichord, organ. For this CD the registrations relate to the character of affetto of the specific episode: thus the 16’ pedal register was chosen for the timpani effect, reeds and cornets (the French grand jeu) for mighty battle scenes, a combination of Terzen-Zug (as Silbermann indicated) for quick, brilliant passages, etc. The character of the Sonata No.2 is radically different. The Book of Samuel tells the tale of David’s predecessor, Saul, the first King of Israel, whose aggressive conduct in the battle against the Philistines and unwillingness to heed advice incurred the reprimand of Samuel the priest, and led Saul into a state of melancholy and depression. The only relief for his suffering was David’s arrival at court and his ability to cheer the king with his harp playing. Despite this, however, the sovereign was defeated in battle and met with death. In the introduction Kuhnau provides elements that help performers understand his interpretation of the music concerning this episode. For example, Saul’s “sickness” is portrayed “…mit einander fortlauffenden Quinten”. Indeed, the use of dissonance and melancholy affetti are reminiscent of Frescobaldi’s toccatas “non soggette a Battuta”, and also Bach’s use of parallel fifths to render the idea of the “falsity” of those who accused Christ before the death sentence (Christus, der uns selig macht BWV620). Next come various sections in which arpeggios representing David’s harp alternate with a fugue whose subject features ribattuta notes and diminished seventh intervals to express the state of mind and the furore of the king. The following Canzona returns to the idea of the harp in the style brisée, which precedes the somewhat melancholy the Calm and Contented Soul of Saul. The episode described in the Sonata No.3 is remarkably rich. In the Book of Genesis, the first-born of Isaac’s twin sons was Esau, but when Isaac was on his deathbed the other twin, Jacob, tried to trick him into believing he was Esau in order to receive the paternal blessing that should have gone to the first-born. Jacob was found out by Esau, however, and had to flee, seeking refuge with his uncle Laban. 8
During his stay with Laban’s family, Jacob fell in love with his cousin Rachel, but was told he must work for his uncle for seven years before he could marry her. Following the seven years of labour, Laban decided his nephew should marry Rachel’s sister, Leah, obliging him to work for seven more years, after which he was finally able to marry his beloved Rachel. In this colourful sonata, Kuhnau presents a range of emotions and sudden changes of affection as though it were a scene from an opera: the joyous arrival at Laban’s home, Jacob’s labours, the lively wedding. But, as he explains in the preface, it is with the Inganno di Laban (Laban’s trick) that the composer achieves the greatest expressive effect, using threatening repeated notes, frequent dissonance and sudden changes of key. The idea of the improvisationlike toccata in the Italian virtuoso style comes clearly to the fore in this music. It culminates in a finale featuring a variety of contrasting tempi and emotions: from the joy of the sposo amoroso e contento (the amorous, happy bridegroom) to the sudden state of sleep, the awakening, the sensation that “something” is not right, the awareness of having been tricked (finding himself married to Leah instead of Rachel), with the return of the earlier subject with its ribattuta notes. The Sonata No.4 tells of the events of the kingdom of Hezekiah, as narrated in the Books of Isaiah, Kings and Chronicles. Hezekiah was gravely sick, and surrounded by enemies, especially the Assyrian king Sennacherib (around 714 BC). Given Hezekiah’s dire state of health, Isaiah ordered him to arrange who was to be his heir and successor. In his desperation Hezekiah prayed to God, who granted a reprieve in the shape of a longer life. Thus the idea interwoven with the Biblical tale also has a potentially Christian interpretation, whereby only God can grant salvation to those facing dreadful adversity. This message also transpires from the Sonata, where the great pathos created by the C minor harmony in the first part (Lamento) gives way to the choral citation Ach Herr, mich armer Sünder, a supplication to God that is central to the structure of the piece. This is followed by a dance rhythm that stands for the King’s joy on finding that God has heeded his prayer. The story told in the Sonata No.5, one of the most inventive in the whole series, 9
comes from the Book of Judges. The narrative regards the figure of Gideon, a judge of the Israelites who was chosen by God to bring his people back to righteousness, following a period given over to vice and idolatry. The Israelites were suffering oppression in the hands of the Midianites, but Gideon harboured doubts about the possibility of God’s promised victory and asked Him for a sign, a miracle. God granted his request, and so Gideon entered the enemy camp at night, launching a surprise attack accompanied by the sound of trumpets and a cohort of soldiers. The Israelites won the battle and the enemy was routed. At the beginning of the sonata, il dubbio di Gideon (Gideon’s doubt) is portrayed by means of a subject in ascending and descending steps in a tranquil 3/2 rhythm, followed by the “demonstration” of God’s proximity, rendered by the same subject developed in “moto contrario” counterpoint. The next section is a toccata-like piece in improvisational style that expresses the enemies’ paura (fear), which soon gives way to coraggio (courage). At this point a proper battle breaks out, with imitation of the sound of trumpets and fighting conjured up in terms reminiscent of Monteverdi and Kerll. Similar to the routing of the Philistines in the first Sonata, here again the flight of the enemies is rendered through the use of rapid two-voice, ascending and descending scales. The final dance seals Gideon’s victory. This brings us to the last piece, the touching Sonata No.6, portraying Jacob in Egypt during the last days of his life. His desire was to be buried in the plot Abraham had bought as a burial place in the land of Canaan, so following his death his family undertook a 500 km journey to bury him there. This is one of Kuhnau’s most intense, affecting sonatas, revealing the composer’s ability to communicate the grief of Jacob’s family, the journey to Canaan (through the basso andante in the left hand), the sorrow of the burial (conveyed on the Silbermann organ by means of the vox humana and tremolo registers to imitate the weeping family members), and the consolation of the relatives. Though the Biblical sonatas are unquestionably Kuhnau’s greatest keyboard achievement, the composer had earlier composed and published various collections of 10
instrumental works: the two-volume Neuer Clavier Übung of 1689 and 1692, and the Frische Clavier Früchte of 1696. The first of these consists of suites comprising dances such as the Allemande, Courante, Sarabande and Gigue, plus the occasional Aria. Well suited to the harpsichord, these pieces are preceded by a Praeludium. Certain of the preludes have been included in this CD, recorded in Freiburg and Rötha, because they lend themselves to performance on the organ, and also reveal a variety of idioms and styles within one relatively contained form: a toccata-like introduction, the section in chords, and fugue motifs. Particularly noteworthy are the Prelude in C major, from which Bach borrowed the main subject for his Fantasie BWV571, the imposing Prelude in D minor with its “Fugue grave” featuring the resonance of the typically French “jeu d’anches”; the Prelude in E minor in the concertante style; the Prelude in A minor with its fugue section based on a very intense subject, with frequent use of intervals of diminished sevenths. The Preludes in C major and D major come from the first volume; those in C minor, D minor and E minor, along with the gorgeous Ciacona with its great variety of colours and figurations, plus the prelude in G minor and the one in A minor all come from the second volume. This latter ends with the remarkable Sonata in B flat major, used for the first time for a keyboard work rather than the usual ensemble, as the composer himself pointed out in the introduction. The first movement is concertante in character, with numerous harmonic and constructive elements reminiscent of Corelli. The fugato passage of the second movement is lively and compact, followed by an adagio of great intensity and expressiveness, typical of Italian compositions of the period. At the end, a delicate minuet precedes the return to the first movement. As for the Frische Clavier Früchte, it comprises 7 sonatas divided into various movements in which the composer successfully and subtly differentiates between the character and emotional impact of each section. Of particular interest are the third movement of the Sonata No.1, an allegro concertante, the majestic, full-bodied introduction to the Sonata No.2, and the 11
third movement in gigue form. The two Corelli-style arias of the Sonata No.3 are also noteworthy, as is the grand fantasia concertante of the second and the third movements of the Sonata No.5, and the entire Sonata No.6, with the use of the basso ostinato (chaconne), the longest piece in the collection, with its range of lively, fresh and original melodic and rhythmic solutions. Finally the first movement of the Sonata No.7 also stands out on account of its frequent use of figura corta, formed by quaver-semiquaver-semiquaver sequences typical of the musical idiom that held sway in Thuringia at the time. Certain of Kuhnau’s other keyboard pieces were not collected into published volumes: the Prelude in G major, which has come down to us through a copy by Emanuel Benish, an organist in Dresden at the beginning of the 18th century (Library of Yale Music School, New Haven); the Prelude in B flat major, and the Fugue in G minor from the Mylau collection in Saxony that consists of music for the church in Mylau equipped with a two-manual Silbermann organ; the Fugue in C major, a variant of the second movement of the Sonata in B flat; and the Toccata in A major, a lovely example of how the style of Frescobaldi’s Italian toccata could be creatively mixed with that of Froberger, along with fugue elements typical of Pachelbel and the composers of central Germany. © Stefano Molardi
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Stefano Molardi Born in Cremona, Stefano Molardi is an organist, musicologist, harpsichordist and conductor. He owes much of his musical training to renowned musicians such as Ewald Kooiman, Christopher Stembridge, Harald Vogel, Luigi Tagliavini and especially Michael Radulescu, with whom he studied in Vienna and for whom he played continuo in the Académie Bach of Porrentruy (Switzerland). Award-winner in various organ competitions, including Paisan di Prato (Udine) in 1998, Viterbo in 1996, and Brugge and the Paul Hofhaimer in Innsbruck, Molardi now pursues a busy career as a soloist and in chamber ensembles, playing in prestigious concert venues, including Disney Hall in Los Angeles, the Sala São Paulo in Brazil, the Musikverein and Theater an der Wien in Vienna, Carnegie Hall in New York, Jordan Hall in Boston, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the Teatro La Fenice in Venice. Likewise he takes part at many international festivals, such as Musica e Poesia a S. Maurizio in Milan, the Festival Organistico Internazionale of Treviso, the Festival di Musica Antica in Valvasone, the International Festival of Maastricht, the Wiener Orgelkonzerte, the Historic Organs Festival in Arnstadt, the Organ Festival of Nuremberg and the Festival of Magadino. In 2009 he performed the complete organ works of Liszt and Franck in Lugano. He is professor of organ at the conservatoires in Lugano and Trapani, and holds international masterclasses and conferences on Baroque performance practice. He has recorded with Tactus, Christophorus, Deutsche Grammophon, SWR, 13
MEZZO, Radio France and Radio Suisse Romande; between 2003 and 2010 he recorded the organ music of Merulo on four CDs for Divox, and for the same label conducted the Baroque orchestra I Virtuosi delle Muse, receiving warm reviews and international recognition. As a conductor, Molardi has performed throughout Europe and the US, with notable performances including J.S. Bach’s St Matthew Passion, St John Passion and Magnificat (Ferrara), Mozart’s Requiem (Crotone), and operas such as Luchesi’s Ademira (Teatro Dovizi in Bibbiena), Porpora’s Mitridate (Teatro Caldéron in Valladolid) and Farnace and Giustino by Vivaldi (both at the Theater an der Wien and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris). In 2013 he became conductor of the Accademia Barocca Italiana, a period-instrument ensemble specialising in Italian and German music of the 17th and 18th centuries. Molardi has also recorded the Complete Organ Music of J.S. Bach, which has been released by Brilliant Classics on four separate volumes (94850 vol.1, 94792 vol.2, 94981 vol.3, 95005 vol.4). He has received 5 stars from the magazine “Musica” in Italy for these recordings.
Thanks to: Albrecht Koch, Elisabeth Höpfner, Anna Maria Carla Proietto, Giuseppe Placentino
ORGAN SPECIFICATIONS: Dom Zu Freiberg – organ by Gottfried Silbermann, 1714
Rötha, Marienkirche - Organ Gottfried Silbermann, 1722
Hauptwerk C, D – c‘“ Bordun 16’ Principal 8’ Rohrflöte 8’ Viol di Gamba 8’ Octava 4’ Quinta 3’ Superoctav 2’ Tertia (1+3/5’) Mixtur 4fach Cimbeln 3fach Cornet c’ 5fach Trompet 8’ Clarin 4’
Manual (C, D-c’’’) Principal 8’ Gedackt 8’ Octava 4’ Rohr Flöte. 4’ Nassat 4’ Octava 2’ Tertia 1 3/5’ Quinta 1 1/2’ Sufflet 1’ Cymbeln. [II]
Oberwerk C, D - c”’ Quintadehn 16’ Principal 8’ Gedackt 8’ Quintadehn 8’ Octava 4’
Spitzflöte 4’ Superoctav 2’ Flaschflöt 1’ Mixtur 3fach Zimbeln 2fach Echo c’ 5fach Krumbhorn 8’ Vox humana Brustwerk C, D - c” Gedackt 8’ Principal 4’ Rohrflöte 4’ Nassat 3’ Octava 2’ Tertia 1+3/5’ Quinta 1+1/2’ Sufflöt 1’ Mixtur 3fach OW/HW BW/HW
Pedal C, D - c’ Untersatz 32’ Principalbaß 16’ Subbaß 16’ Octavbaß 8’ Octavbaß 4’ Pedalmixtur 6fach Posaunenbaß 16” Trompetenbaß 8’ Clarinbaß 4’ Tremulant Schwebung
Pedal (C, D-c’) Subbass 16’ Pedal-Coppel a’ = 465 Hz Stimmung: modifiziert Mitteltönig
a’ = 476,3 Hz Stimmung: modifiziert Mitteltönig
Recording: 5-6 May 2014, Freiberg, Germany (CD1 & 2); 5-6 August 2014, Marienkirche, Rötha, Germany (CD3) Sound engineer & artistic director: Simone Bellucci Cover image: Simone Bellucci - & © 2015 Brilliant Classics
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