Beethoven: Christus Am Ölberge

Beethoven's Christ On The Mount Of Olives

Beethoven composed his oratorio, "Christus am Olberge" in the brief span of two weeks during the summer of 1801. The work received its first performance in Vienna in April, 1803, together with Beethoven's Second Symphony and Third Piano Concerto. The work was highly successful at its premiere but faded quickly. It was finally published in 1811, resulting in its high opus number.

The subject of the work is the suffering of Jesus before his arrest, the reactions of Jesus' disciples, especially Peter, and a chorus of praise for God. The libretto is by one Franz Xaver Huber. The work features three soloists, singing the parts of Jesus, Peter and the Seraph, chorus, and orchestra.

For Beethoven, the work looked forward in two directions. First, the initial success of the work resulted in a commission to Beethoven to write the opera that became "Leonore" and then Fidelio. Second, this work constituted Beethoven's initial attempt to write religious choral music. This initial effort led to the later C Major Mass, opus 86 and to the "Missa Solemnis", opus 123, his masterpiece in this form.

"Christus am Olberge" remains well-worth knowing in its own right. The work opens with a lengthy slow orchestral introduction, full of tension and solemnity, which sets the stage for a work of passion and redemption. The chorus in the work are rousing. The magisterial chorus and fugue with which the work concludes draws upon Handel's "Halleluia" chorus for influence and is sometimes performed on its own. Another chorus late in the work, (no. 12) "Her is er, der Verbante" is also full of passion and fury. The recitives in the work for Jesus and Peter carry forth the solemnity of the theme.

The work has often been criticized because it attempts to combine two disparate styles. The arias in the oratorio, particularly those sung by the Seraph are operatic and virtuosic in form. They do not fit well with the somber tone of the work. The oratorio was criticized in this regard beginning with its initial appearance, and Beethoven himself regarded the work as overly dramatic. Nevertheless, it includes some outstanding music.

The performance on this CD is by the Chorus and Orchestra National of Lyon conducted by Serge Baudo. The soloists are Monica Pick-Hieronimi, soprano, James Anderson, tenor, and Victor von Halem, bass. The sound is excellent and the performance does justice to this neglected score. Mr. Anderson's performance was especially noteworthy. The CD comes with program notes that illuminate the background of this work and with the text of the oratorio without English translation.

This is a budget-priced CD. Budget priced recordings such as this allow the listener to explore unfamiliar music with little cost or risk. The only requirement is a desire to be adventurous, whether with the lesser-known works of a master or with the works of an obscure composer. "Christus am Olberge" would not be the best place to begin for a listener coming to Beethoven for the first time. But it is an outstanding disc for those wanting to deepen their knowledge of Beethoven's music and to hear some of his less familiar but still beautiful compositions.

Robin Friedman