Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Please allow me to share a true story with you. When I first listened to this CD I could not find my reading glasses so I put it in my player only knowing that what I was about to hear was an oratorio by Beethoven concerning Christ on the Mount of Olives. I remember the story: Jesus went out of the city of Jerusalem to pray, knowing that he was to be betrayed by Judas and taken into custody with the remaining 11 disciples abandoning him. The singing is in German but I soon worked out that Jesus was being sung by a tenor and Peter by a bass. Very soon all my attention was on Jesus - appropriately, of course when we consider the spiritual significance of the story - but also musically. This was some singer! It is a masterful performance with remarkable power and control, particularly when achieving some high notes. Clearly I had to find out who it was so hunted down my spectacles and read the small print. Placido Domingo. Say no more. This recording was first released in 2003 and marked the beginning of the collaboration between conductor Kent Nagano and Harmonia Mundi. Now it is re-released on the budget Harmonia Mundi Gold label so if, like me, you missed it first time you have the opportunity to catch up. 'Christus Am Ölberge' has a text by Franz Xaver Huber and is Beethoven's only oratorio so is an isolated piece in his overall output. He composed it early in 1803, shortly before his great Third Symphony and a few months before he began work on his only opera, 'Fidelio'. Huber chose the Biblical accounts of Jesus and his disciples in the garden of Gethsemane and of Christ's capture there as the basis of his work. There is a soprano part for a Seraph, here sung by Luba Orgonasova, which adds an extra dimension to the music and serves a dramatic purpose as a narrator. Petrus/Peter is played by Andreas Schmidt who also sings well and the whole was an unexpected treat. I would not call myself a fan of Beethoven - which is perhaps why I was not familiar with this work - but Domingo's performance alone is worth the price and I may need to reconsider Beethoven's position in my list of favourites.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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