Why we came: the performance
Those of us fortunate enough to simply be in the audience this evening were very happy to spend a couple of hours in the sunshine, enjoying a sociable lunch at the Kursaal in Bad Cannstatt before the performance. We were sorry that our friend Res, from the Swiss Joachim Raff Gesellschaft didn’t make it, but caught up with Severin and Stephan, two of the Raff-fans we don’t see very often.
As we walked to the church nearby, where the concert would take place, we spotted a familiar lorry, no longer parked in the meadow.
Preparations were being made in the church itself, whilst we went off upstairs to the Gemeindehaus where Volker was giving a pre-concert talk to a room filled with enthusiastic listeners.
With additional insight and information about the detail of Raff’s work, we joined the audience who were beginning to gather in the church. On this warm, sultry evening, this was a well chosen venue.
As orchestra members found their way onto the stage, Martin Luther was ever present. In this part of Germany, he’s never far away and thinking back to Augsburg, it was interesting to read of his disdain for Jakob Fugger and his business dealings.
Anyway, this was a super location for a concert and I loved noticing the details here and there around the nave of the church. I took particular note of the colour palette of the stained glass, which was somewhat different from that frequently seen at home in Gloucestershire. Here, the dominant colours were teal, ochre and a deep red. Quite distinctive.
As soon as the prelude began, we immediately noticed the difference in the acoustics of the recording studio and that of the church, which was so much more reverberant. I felt for the six soloists who seemed to have to work that much harder to be heard above the orchestra - but professionals that they are, of course they managed that beautifully!
The programme offered details of all the performers and the full libretto too, but unlike the majority of the audience, I prefer to watch the performance rather than follow word for word. One element of this composition is the use of leitmotifs, which means that before long, these musical phrases become quite familiar, especially so with the Narrator. Having heard him sing in rehearsal, I particularly enjoyed listening to his role. Just as well, for he has far more to sing than anyone else
As with all good things, the second half of the work seemed so much shorter than the first and it was all over way too soon. It ends with a rousing chorus involving everyone singing and playing at full volume. Wow.
European audiences take some persuasion to stand and applaud, but on this occasion, stand they did, one by one at first but gradually the whole audience rose to their feet. It had been a truly remarkable evening.
The soloists and conductor were presented with flowers, the orchestra and choir took several bows and eventually the audience allowed them a deserved exit from the stage.
The night had been such a memorable event and I can’t wait to hear the recording, even if it might take months….years even, before it appears!
In the meantime, there’s a recording of the prelude here if you’d like to get a flavour of what we heard.
