~ Author: Oberon
Saturday May 20, 2023 - ORPHEUS presenting the world premiere of Jasmine Barnes' Songs of Paul, celebrating the 125th birthday of the great singer/activist Paul Robeson; this was followed by Beethoven's Egmont in an arrangement by Andreas Tarkmann, with a new translation of the narrative by Philip Bohem. Soprano Karen Slack and baritone Will Liverman were the excellent soloists for the Barnes, and Ms. Slack also sang the soprano arias in the Beethoven, sharing the stage with the inimitable Christine Baranski, who was the Narrator.
Above: Paul Robeson
Ms. Barnes' new work was warmly received by the audience tonight; her arrangements are beautiful, and were finely played by the artists of ORPHEUS. Sometimes the music seemed too symphonic, detracting a bit from the voices; I grew up hearing these songs on my grandmother's 78s, with Lawrence Brown playing piano, and the orchestral settings tonight at times felt too glossy. Be that as it may, the songs were superbly sung by Will Liverman ("Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel?", "Deep River", "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", and "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child") and Karen Slack ("There's A Man Going Round Taking Names" and "My Soul's Been Anchored in the Lord"). The two singers joined together for a grand finale, starting with the profound "Go down, Moses" which gave way to the rousing "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho". Both singers sounded marvelous in the great Hall; composer Jasmine Barnes joined them for a bow, to loud cheers from the crowd.
The Beethoven did not seem the right companion piece to the Robeson fest this evening; though both Paul Robeson and Lamoral of Egmont were idealists and freedom fighters, that is their only real connection. There was a feeling of restlessness in the Hall as the Beethoven went on, and at least four different cellphones went off, which was distracting. At any rate, Egmont is not one of Beethoven's masterpieces; the music mostly feels dutiful rather than inspired.
The historical story of Lamoral of Egmont (above) began in Brussels, in the second half of the 16th century. The Low Countries, under the heavy yoke of Philip II and his Spanish Inquisition - reference Verdi's DON CARLO - found their civil rights curtailed and the Protestant movement crushed. Egmont, although himself a loyal Catholic, went to Madrid to plead for clemency for the Protestants. He was received with honors by King Philip, but when Egmont returned to his homeland, the king sent the Duke of Alva to Brussels to squash all resistance to Spain's will. Egmont was imprisoned and eventually executed for treason; his martyr's death roused the Lowlanders to rebel and cast off their Spanish overlords.
Beethoven took up the tale of Egmont in 1809, when he was commissioned to compose incidental music for the Vienna premiere of the Goethe play. Beethoven composed a set of musical numbers for Egmont, beginning with the dramatic overture, now a free-standing staple of the concert repertory. There are four entr'actes, two songs for Klärchen, and the final scenes of Egmont's trial and death. It ends with Egmont's exultant call to the people to overthrow their oppressors: "Defend your land! And to liberate your loved ones, give yourselves joyously, as I do now, for you!"
Ms. Baranski, clad all in white, read the narrative, which veers from poetic to melodramatic, with her distinctive voice and innate sense of drama. Ms. Slack sang Klärchen's two brief arias attractively. The orchestra - all evening - played splendidly, with several notable solo passages for the winds.
~ Oberon