Far from being choosy, when it comes to music I often stray from any delightful kitsch to Bach and back. From time to time I do get caught in a somber sweep of some classical piece and inevitably start thinking that I should just erase and burn all my other music, hide it in the attic and focus my life only on classical music because this is the only music that matters. So far I have postponed this but every now and than, like in this instance when I hear this recording, I am almost ready. It is still a big mystery of life, how did somebody from a working class background, with absolutely no previous knowledge in classical music (in my family it was looked upon as something very suspicious, pretentious and bourgeois) eventually came to embrace it so passionately with true affection and curiosity, while the rest of my friends and acquaintances have no interest in it. This might be one of the instances where I resist my natural urge to spread the good news and convert people to something I love - either I intuitively understand the futility of it or simply accepted that this is something I enjoy in my private time and as such little personal ritual it has particular magic and meaning for me alone. Curiously, with all the passing fads and trends, classical music is actually still very much alive and I don't see the twilight of it - whenever anything new fades and music industry gets in trouble, classical music still sells, timeless old recordings get new repackaging and apparently people still feel the need for the little magic in their lives. Marketing tricks might be different now, new generations of artists come and go but everybody is unique and bring something fresh and individual. There is also a huge amount of literature and information about classical music around now, so this helps when it comes to research and selection.
It was a two-volume book "Legendary voices" (Nigel Douglas) borrowed from a public library that completely changed my life. Accompanied with two nice CDs, the books presented chapter-by-chapter profiles of some two dozen pre-WW2 artists who were much beloved and popular in their time, but eventually came to be overshadowed by later generations (who in turn will also be replaced by younger stars). CDs (by Nimbus Prima Voce edition) were fantastic and it took me almost two decades to actually move away from these old, mono recordings and to research later versions but one thing was always consistent - people back than truly believed no one can possibly match singers like Beniamino Gigli, Claudia Muzio or Jussi Björling and they were considered to be masters of their art. Than some time later came new generation who was celebrated as even better, but in reality Maria Callas grew idolising and listening to her older colleague, now almost forgotten Claudia Muzio. My point is that nobody just pops out of Zeus's head and everybody is influenced by somebody else, either consciously or unconsciously, new generations always arrive following somebody else and than combine all the affection and impressions into something new and fresh. Every now and than some new girl is advertised as new Callas but in fact everybody is unique. At the very end of second volume of his book, Nigel Douglas decided to add the chapters about two post-WW2 artists who in his opinion also deserve to be mentioned in such company and he lovingly wrote chapters about Callas and Kathleen Ferrier - this is how I came to hear her voice for the very first time, her recording of traditional Blow The Wind Southerly being chosen on CD as perfect example of her art.
Blow The Wind Southerly might be the most popular of all the recordings Kathleen Ferrier made in her tragically short life and its still magical, haunting experience but in fact in her day Ferrier was much beloved and respected for works in different field - her unique and sonorous voice was perfectly suited for oratorio and nowhere is this more evident than on this recording with music by Bach and Handel. Backed by London Philharmonic Orchestra, she performs arias from Mass in B Minor, St. Matthew Passion, St. John Passion and Mass In B-Minor (all of them magnificent, somber pieces) before turning to English work by Handel (Samson, Messiah, Judas Maccabaeus) and being divided into two different sides of the record, they make simply perfect combination - one can hear her in either German or English pieces, soul responding immediately and instantly to such beauty, reverie and pleasure. Religious experience as such (initially imagined by its creators) might or might not be shared by today's listeners but that is beyond the point - just as some of the biggest pieces of art displayed around the world's museums, they are now enjoyed out of the context and listener simply gets swept by the sheer beauty of the sound. Dutch singer Aafje Heynis who was Ferrier's contemporary also covered very much same territory and deserves your attention if this appeals to you.
No comments:
Post a Comment