Schoenberg: Moses und Aron

Moses und Aron is a work of immense difficulty, but its significance, as Schoenberg’s longest stage work and his religious and political testament, has led to its being recorded at least four times. I retain a soft spot for the premiere recording, by Rosbaud; among its successors, Gielen’s grip on the score is the equal of Solti’s or Boulez’s and he unites, as far as possible, their fire and precision. Reich is a harsh Moses, and, though a fine singer, he makes few concessions to the notated pitches of the speech-song.

Our rating

4

Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:31 pm

COMPOSERS: Schoenberg
LABELS: Philips
WORKS: Moses und Aron
PERFORMER: Günter Reich, Louis DevosAustrian RSO & Chorus/Michael Gielen
CATALOGUE NO: 438 667-2 AAD

Moses und Aron is a work of immense difficulty, but its significance, as Schoenberg’s longest stage work and his religious and political testament, has led to its being recorded at least four times. I retain a soft spot for the premiere recording, by Rosbaud; among its successors, Gielen’s grip on the score is the equal of Solti’s or Boulez’s and he unites, as far as possible, their fire and precision. Reich is a harsh Moses, and, though a fine singer, he makes few concessions to the notated pitches of the speech-song. There have been suaver Arons than Davos; his lyric line here appears less pliable, enhancing his political threat to Moses – a perfectly valid interpretation. The ferociously difficult choruses come over with clarity and force, and the orchestra, raw in places and not always completely clean in attack, displays virtuosity and a wide colouristic and dynamic range. This is a studio performance without special effects (such as noises of an approaching crowd), and it is a pity that at the crisis in Act II the 70 elders sound exactly like the chorus which threatens them. But Schoenberg’s vision of a crowd seizing on half-truths to turn a spiritual ideal into savage nationalism remains as frightening as ever, and as topical. Julian Rushton

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