After a somewhat fraught start to the week when Storm Darragh delayed their arrival in Hamburg followed by subsequent performances in Vienna and Luxembourg, all seemed serene and calm as John Eliot Gardiner joined the stage with his newly formed Constellation Choir and Orchestra in the Konzerthaus, Dortmund. A programme of Baroque Christmas music beckoned.
Turbulent times
The last eighteen months have been a turbulent time for the eighty-one-year-old founder and conductor of the Monteverdi Choir and associated ensembles: English Baroque Soloists and Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique. He had a point to prove. After a return to his beloved choir (founded over 60 years ago when a student at Cambridge University) was blocked by the MCO board in July 2024 in the wake of an incident with British bass William Thomas, Gardiner was left with a dilemma. Having publicly stated that he was not “in any sense ready to retire”; with overwhelming support from musicians harking from all over Europe, many of whom had resigned from the MCO and crossed the floor to join his new Springhead Constellation; and promoters keen to have him on back on stage, the rest as they say is history.
The Advent cantata
Opening with J.S. Bach’s Schwingt freudig euch empor BWV 36, written when Kapellmeister in Leipzig to celebrate the first Sunday of Advent, the eighteen voices of the Constellation Choir started as they meant to go on giving a vocal masterclass in discipline, technical prowess and the deft creation of a vast tapestry of sound. Rolling ‘r’s’ and kicking ‘k’s’ abounded. Orchestral highlights included delicate oboe and continuo cello, searching upwards towards God in “Die Liebe zieht”; and French lutist, Thomas Dunford who rose above the immense tutti choir and orchestra with his quasi jazzy strumming and florid cadences, full of Rocco decoration. Silky-soft and fabulously disciplined strings were the icing on the cake.
The soloists
Mezzo-soprano, Eline Welle shone like a true Dutch star while British tenor, Peter Davoren exhibited wonderful control in some delicious suspensions. However, Alexander Ashworth’s commanding presence and delivery set the standard captivating all with his animated and even operatic interpretation. With Gardiner momentarily seated amongst the cellos, German soprano Marie Luise Werneburg’s duet “Auch mit gedämpften” with Transylvanian violinist Kati Debretzeni proved addictive. On her feet and playing from memory, Debretzeni’s fluttering trills and understated passagework provided a heavenly cushion. The soprano’s staccato “Denn schallet nur” was mirrored in the violin, evoking flashes of Mozart’s coloratura “Queen of the Night” aria from Die Zauberflöte. All felt incredibly intimate as the pair drew the audience close.
The Mass for Christmas Eve
Charpentier’s Messe de Minuit pour Noël changed the mood as it flitted between dance-like and more melancholic moments. Polished, sophisticated phrasing created moments of complete stillness. A ravishing pianissimo for “Agnus Dei” showed the choir at their finest. They moved and sounded as one, almost as if they had sung together for many years.
The cantata for Christmas Day
The final offering, J.S. Bach’s cantata Unser Mund sei voll Lachens first performed on Christmas Day 1725, raised the roof. After the restraint of the Charpentier, and with the orchestra now on their feet, the choir sounded unleased as the fleeting triplets flashed past at quite a lick: technically challenging for choir and oboes alike! The basses positively devoured “Denn der Herr” in the opening choral.
Dutch mezzo, Eline Welle’s impatient and venomous “Ein Wurm, den verfluchest” contrasted with the loving kindness of “Doch auch dein Sohn”. Florid scales in the vocal duet of “Ehre sie Gott” and unexpected harmonic turns in praise of God in the highest added to the drama. Continuo cello, Kinga Gáborjáni was a star.
The trumpets
Bold and jubilant trumpets in “Wacht auf” brought an additional warmth with their wonderful high notes and tricky lip trills before Ashworth squeezed out every harmonic twist and turn from the text. The choir sat mesmerized; all smiling in admiration. Finishing with an emphatic “Alleluja”, the organ let loose for one last time.
A repeat of the first chorus “Unser Mund” served as the first encore. But the second, Es is ein Ros entsprungen took this performance to new heights. Sung with such a depth of feeling, the sentiment of the text, sung in the native German, felt remarkably fresh and relevant.
Gardiner clearly has a very special place in the hearts of this German audience who enthusiastically showered all with unwavering approval. From the emotion on the musicians’ faces, it was clear how much the warmth of the sustained applause meant to each and every one. In the words of Hans Christian Anderson, “where words fail, music speaks”.
The musicians of The Constellation Choir and Orchestra
Further listening
Gardiner on the past, and the future
Gardiner hopes his new ensembles, the Constellation Choir & Orchestra, will have a new focus on education and bring together parallel art forms such as dance, ballet, drama and sculpture. The aim is to work on new collaborations with ALL the art forms, “so the art is augmented by their coming together, [thus] enriching the audience experience”. One project which really excites him is the chance to perform the complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies.
He talks about the incident in August 2023, admitting he made a huge error of judgement and that he lost self-control. Further, he remarks that he was “really unfit to conduct in that concert… I was totally exhausted and running on empty. This is not an excuse, but I want to make sure I never get into that situation again… To put so many innocent people at risk, and to disappoint them so profoundly”.
Gardiner further shares how ongoing cognitive behavioural therapy, anger management and leadership training sessions are helping him to understand how “what was accepted or even tolerated in the past, is now completely unacceptable”.
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This concert was reviewed on Thursday 12th December 2024 in the Konzerthaus, Dortmund
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