Helge Burggrabe: JEHOSCHUA – Rotes Oratorium
Sacred work for soprano, alto, tenor, violoncello, clarinet,
speaker, marimba, vibraphone, gong, drums, tubular bells,
chamber choir and string orchestra
Olivia Jeremias (violoncello), Johannes Peitz (clarinet),
Marek Reimann (percussion), Geraldine Zeller (soprano),
Anne Bierwirth (alto), Manuel König (tenor),
Christoph Bantzer (speaker)
Harvestehuder Kammerchor
Ensemble Resonanz
Claus Bantzer, conductor
Composer and recorder player Helge Burggrabe was
born near Stuttgart in 1973. He spent his earliest
childhood years in Myanmar, beginning with the
recorder after returning to Germany. He debuted in
the Stuttgart Liederhalle in 1993, going on to study
recorder and composition in Hamburg, where he lives
today.
A frequent subject of his works is the harmony
between music and architecture, which has led him to
compose such musical works as “RESONATUS – an
oratorio of silence” (UA: 2004), “STELLA MARIS – a
concertante total art work for music, space, language,
water and light” with over 60 participants (UA: 2006)
and “ZEITEN DER STILLE” (with Anselm Grün
and Iris Berben).
JEHOSCHUA is an oratorio about becoming
human. The name of Jesus is made to sound in its
Hebrew form, with the vowels I-E-O-U-A as the
basis of the work. Bible passages in the work are
read by renowned actor Christoph Bantzer. JEHOSCHUA
was performed on May 21, 2009 in the St.
Petri cathedral in Bremen during the 32nd Protestant
Church Congress. This recording was made during a
performance on November 21, 2009 in the Protestant
Kirche am Markt in Hamburg-Blankenese.
The Red Oratorio
The starting point of this work are
the vowels in the Hebrew name
jehoshua
(= Jesus): i – e – o – u – a.
Both in terms of language and sound,
these vowels take up the central subject
matter of the oratorio and enable
it to be vividly experienced. The central
theme is incarnation, a basic spiritual
and philosophical question that
can be associated with the color red.
The Hebrew word adama, for example,
can mean both “earth” as well as “red”
and is simultaneously the linguistic
root for the name of the first (Biblical)
human: Adam. In religious Medieval
painting and stained glass, red is
frequently
an indication of incarnation
and manifestation; it can even be a
metaphor for the blood of Jesus.
The structure of the oratorio takes
up the incarnation motive by using
this special sequence of vowels. It
begins
with the bright vowel I, moves
to the vowels E and O to the dark
vowel U and finally ends with the
open vowel A and the Bible quote
(St. John 1 : 14): And the Word was
made flesh, and dwelt among us, (…).
Because every vowel can be assigned
its own area of resonance in the human
body, musically setting this sequence
of vowels more or less corresponds
to letting the music sink into
one’s own body. The vowel A, with its
resonance space “heart“, comes at the
end of this musical process of incarnation
and can be experienced as uplifting
or opening.
The libretto assigns the five vowels
to Biblical stories, psalms, observations,
dialogs and appeals that
describe
the path of the Divine word
to humans as well as the course of
human
change. The text focuses on
five central Gospel stories of Jesus’
encounters.
These are reflected on,
responded
to and further spun out.
The oratorio’s structure closely follows
the typical tradition of the genre.
Texts and statements are presented by
soloists and choir as recitatives, arias
and chorales, accompanied by a string
orchestra. These are commented on
by the solo clarinet and cello; diverse
percussion instruments add other
tonal
colors and rhythmic elements.
The work’s ritual character, however,
remains in the foreground of the
setting. A gong opens and closes the
oratorio. The prologue, which introduces
the word, sound and core statements,
is followed by five chapters.
Each of these has a similar, ritualistic
structure. Two or three vocal soloists
introduce the respective vowel, together
with the string orchestra –
linked to a psalm text. These are followed
by encounters in the form of
readings, and then continued by instrumental
interpretations for solo
cello
or in duet with the clarinet. Arias
allow the characters previously encountered
in the Gospel stories to express
themselves. Each chapter finishes
with the repeated, although slightly
varied chorale movement “Gott, du
Quelle“. The Finale in the epilogue
draws together the quintessence of
the five core statements from the previous
movements, once again presenting
the qualities of the vowels, now in
compressed musical form. These qualities
are also reflected by the choice
of percussion instruments: vibraphone
(I), marimba (E), gong (O), drum (U)
and tubular bells (A).
The connection of language, music
and space is highly significant for performances
of jehoshua. The performance
hall should be capable of architecturally
entering into the process of
dialog and resonance and should help
tell the story.
Helge Burggrabe
Translation: Elizabeth Gahbler
Artists’ biographies
Helge Burggrabe studied at the Hochschule
für Musik und Theater Hamburg.
His innovative composition and
concert projects have made him one
of the most popular European composers
and flutists of the younger
generation.
He is particularly interested
in the connection between music
and sacred architecture and the inclusion
of art-forms such as dance,
painting, installations and light sculpture.
He has worked together with
such artists as Emmanuelle Bertrand,
Iris Berben, Maria Jonas, Claus
Bantzer, Eberhard Metternich and
Michael
Batz. His breakthrough came
in 2006 with the oratorio stella
maris, which was premiered at the
1000th anniversary of Chartres Cathedral
and filmed by the NDR/Arte Television
Broadcasting Corporations.
His works have been performed in the
Bremen Cathedral, the Mariendom
Neviges, the Vézelay Basilique and the
Cologne Cathedral.
www.burggrabe.com
Echo prizewinner
Johannes Peitz
(clarinet) was first appointed solo clarinetist
of the NDR Radio Philharmonic
in Hanover; he continues to make
guest appearances with countless renowned
international orchestras. He
has performed solistically with conductors
such as Horst Stein and Ingo
Metzmacher,
performed with the Trio
di clarone with Sabine Meyer, as duopartner
of Sharon Kam and is a founding
member of the Albert Schweitzer
Octet. Johannes Peitz was appointed
professor at the Hanover Hochschule
für Musik und Theater in 2000.
www.johannespeitz.de
At the age of 20, cellist
Olivia Jeremias
performed Dvo?rák’s Cello Concerto
in Dresden’s Semper Opera under the
direction of Sir Colin Davis. As winner
of the First Prize of the Heran Competition
in the Czech Republic as well
as finalist of the Antonio Janigro Competition
in Zagreb, she has received
great international acclaim. Olivia Jeremias
regularly appears as a soloist
with various orchestras and has likewise
performed in renowned festivals
in Ireland, Spain, England and the
USA. She was appointed solo cellist of
the Hamburg Philharmonic in 2005.
Geraldine Zeller (soprano) studied
voice (song and oratorio) as well as
vocal pedagogy at the Hochschule für
Musik und Theater Hamburg and the
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
in London. Her repertoire ranges from
Hildegard von Bingen up to contemporary
music. Internationally in demand
as a concert singer, she has appeared
with a number of orchestras,
including the Hamburg Symphony
Orchestra,
the Hamburg Camerata and
the Elbipolis Baroque Ensemble. She
has collaborated with Helge Burggrabe
on many concert projects.
www.geraldine-follert-zeller.de
Since completion of her vocal studies
at the Folkwang Academy in Essen and
the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende
Kunst in Frankfurt, alto
Anne
Bierwirth has been in great demand
as a concert singer. She has worked
together
with various ensembles, including
the Freiburg Vokalensemble,
Frankfurt a cappella, La Stagione Frankfurt and the Himlische Cantorey.
Many tours have taken her to the
major
cities of Europe.
Building on his vocal studies at the
Academy for Music and Theater
Hanover,
tenor
Manuel König studies
opera at the Hochschule der Künste
in Bern. In addition to extensive experience
as an ensemble vocalist, he often
sings oratorio repertoire, working
with such conductors as J. Straube,
H. Speck, A. Spering, R. Jacobs and
others. In addition, he was successful
at such festivals as the Handel Festival
Göttingen and Les Dominicains.
Marek Reimann studied and worked
as a percussionist, first in Pozna´n
and Warsaw. In 1982, he continued his
studies at the Hanover Hochschule
für Musik und Theater with Prof. A.
Schober and W. Schneider. Since 1983,
he has performed with numerous
orchestras
(including the NDR Radio
Philharmonic Hanover, the HR Radio
Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra
of the Theater Bremen and the Hanover
State Opera). As a soloist and
chamber musician, he performs in
projects ranging from baroque music
to contemporary music and jazz.
Since its foundation in 1980 by its permanent
Artistic Director Claus Bantzer,
the
Harvestehuder Kammerchor has
gained an outstanding reputation as a
chamber choir due to its national
and international concert activities.
It has won numerous prizes and released
many successful CDs (BMG/
Sony, OehmsClassics). One of the ensemble’s
major focuses is the performance
of experimental concert forms
and unusual interpretations. It has
worked with Helge Burggrabe on the
premiere of his oratorio stella maris
in Chartre (2006) and jehoschua
in
Hanover
(2008).
www.harvestehuder-kammerchor.de
The
Ensemble Resonanz has dedicated
itself to the promotion and development
of contemporary string repertoire.
Internationally, it is one of the
most highly profiled and innovative
chamber orchestras. In addition to renowned
soloists and conductors, the
ensemble also works with media artists,
directors, actors and visual artists,
including I. Metzmacher, R. Capuçon,
R. Willemsen, B. Morrison, R. Goebel
and the Neue Vocalsolisten. At home
in Hamburg since 2002, the Laeiszhalle’s
Ensemble-in-Residence has established
its “Resonanzen” concert series
with great success.
www.ensembleresonanz.com
Organist, composer and conductor
Claus Bantzer was active as the
organist
at St. Johannis-Harvestehude
Church in Hamburg from 1975 to
2008. In addition, Bantzer has also
achieved considerable renown as a
composer in various musical areas:
jazz, modern classical music and film
music (most recently: Doris Dörrie’s
film Cherry Blossoms, Berlinale 2008).
Bantzer has been awarded numerous
prizes, including the German Film
Prize for Film Music (1987), the Prix de
la Sacem (1994) and the Senator-Biermann-
Ratjen Medal of the City of
Hamburg (2007). His name has been
linked with innovative crossover projects
for many years. In 1999, for example,
Bantzer initiated the renowned
concert series “kreuzungen – Musik
verwoben“. Numerous CDs document
his many-sided musical works.
www.clausbantzer.de
Kurt Dantzer is a theologist and via
cordis contemplation teacher. In
addition
to his activities as a minister,
he has taught Biblical theology and
spirituality at the Lutherstift (Falkenburg)
and was the Head of Studies at
the Protestant Academy Loccum. He is
especially interested in the intellectual
tug-of-war between spirituality and
social commitment, between theology
and literature. He wrote his first
libretto for the oratorio Song at the
Well (1996) for the Polish composer
J. Luciuk. He wrote the texts for
jehoschua
between 2001 and 2006.