Max Bruch - Moses, Op. 67 (1895)

Max Bruch (6 January 1838 – 2 October 1920) was a German Romantic composer, teacher, and conductor who wrote over 200 works, including three violin concertos, the first of which has become a staple of the violin repertoire. Please support my channel: Moses a Biblical Oratorium, Op. 67 (1894-95) Librettist: Ludwig Spitta (1845-1901) I. On Sinai #1. Chorus of the People (0:00) #2. The Angel of the Lord (6:12) #3. Moses (12:43) #4. Song of Praise (16:54) #5. The Angel of the Lord (27:10) #6. Chorus of the People (34:41) II. The Golden Calf #7. Scene (37:42) #8. Aaron, The People (44:53) #9. Moses. Aaron. The People (52:28) PART II III. The Return of the Spies from Canaan #10. Chorus of the Spies (58:50) #11. Moses (1:05:14) #12. Scene - Aaron. The People (1:07:10) #13. Moses. The Angel of the Lord. The People (1:16:00) IV The Promised Land #14. The Angel of the Lord (1:22:12) #15. Moses (1:32:00) #16. Chorus of the People (1:35:04) #17. Moses (1:41:00) #18. Chorus. Recitative (1:47:43) #19. Lament of the People (1:49:45) Elizabeth Whitehouse, soprano Michael Volle, baritone Robert Gambill, tenor Chor der Bamberger Symphoniker and Bamberg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Claus Peter Flor 2016 Orfeo Records Bruch conceived the idea of an biblical oratorio on the story of Moses in 1889, writing that he saw Moses as the “only great representative and preserver of monotheism.” Bruch began work after he was established in Berlin and had heard Anton Rubinstein’s spiritual opera Moses (1894). According to letters to his publisher Simrock, the composer received help from his colleague Philipp Spitta, and called Moses “one of the greatest undertakings of my life.” Theologian Ludwig Spitta (Philipp’s brother, 1845-1901) wrote the eloquent libretto, paraphrasing Exodus and quoting from the Psalms. Moses was depicted as a prophetic political leader of the Israelites (similar to the way Bismarck was viewed in Germany at the time), a heroic warrior, and a respected disciple of God. These qualities were shared by the heroes of Bruch’s earlier secular choral works. Moses was first performed under the composer’s direction on January 19, 1895 in Barmen, a former industrial metropolis in the region of Bergisches Land, now part of Wuppertal. Five performances took place in Germany during the following year (Bonn, Düsseldorf, Schwerin, Gotha, and Berlin), and the first American performance soon followed (Oratorio Society of Baltimore) on February 6, 1896 in an English translation by Paul England. The oratorio’s nineteen movements are a neo-classical reinterpretation of Handel’s Israel in Egypt. Its four parts depict Moses (bass) receiving the Ten Commandments from the Angel of the Lord (soprano), the Adoration of the Golden Calf, a battle, and the Israelites’ arrival in the Promised Land. The three soloists (including Moses’ brother Aaron (tenor), who critics of the time compared to Wagner’s Siegfried) sing a variety of lush, lyrical styles. The chorus portrays the people of Israel after the manner of Mendelssohn’s Elijah. Orchestral color ranges from ominous descending passages and brass choirs to beautiful solos for harp, English horn, and piccolo and a prominent organ part that may be replaced by woodwind choir. The death of Moses is particularly striking, with male choral recitative accompanied by organ, trombone trio, and timpani. “I could never have written Moses if a strong and deep feeling for God were not alive in me,” Bruch told Simrock. “Once in the lifetime of every deeply concerned artist, the best and innermost emotions of his soul can be announced to the world using the medium of his Art. I am little or nothing. Thus Moses has proved to the world that I have not remained standing still – for that is the greatest danger in old age.” Bruch considered Moses to be an advan in his compositional style.[1According to Bruch biographer Christopher Fifield, the opposite is true.[2] Bruch himself was of the opinion that the disappearance of the oratorio from the repertoire was due to the performance under Joseph Joachim and his “incredible incompetence as a choir and mass conductor“[3].