Richard Einhorn

Voices of Light
An Oratorio inspired by the film The Passion of Joan of Arc.

Anonymous 4, as the voice of Joan
Susan Narucki, Corrie Pronk, Frank Hameleers, Henk van Heijnsbergen, SATB
Ronald Hoogeveen, Vn.; Naomi Hirschfeld, Michael Feves & Harm Bakker, Gambas
Netherlands Radio Choir and Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, conducted by
Steven Mercurio
Sony SK 62006  Total time: 70:40

It is strange and rather embarrassing to say that this is my discovery
of the year, because this sensational work has had over 100 performances
to international acclaim since the mid-1990s.  What is more, one of these
was in my own neighborhood, by the Milwaukee Symphony, accompanied by a
showing of the Dreyer film--but I missed the performances there.  If my
memory and my search on classical.net are a reliable indication, it has
never been discussed here.  By chance though, I recently happened to
hear half an hour of it on my car radio, broadcast--across Lake Michigan--by
Blue Lake Public Radio in Muskegon, while on my way to an event.  After
sitting in the parked car for half of that time, until my last available
minute, I just had to call that station to find out what it was.

What it is, is a setting of a selection of words by medieval mystics,
and some by Joan of Arc, for a range of musical forces ranging from
solos for voice, gamba, and violin--and bells--to full mixed chorus with
orchestral accompaniment (mostly high and low strings.) Quiet as much
of it is, its beauty, its rhythmic excitement, and its forward motion
(notwithstanding some repetition) have kept me leaning into this music
through several hearings now.  As a modern setting of medieval texts it
is the antithesis of Orff's Carmina Burana, certainly as regards the
meaning of the words, which can be ignored easily, if the listener
prefers, as they are in medieval French and Latin, though if you do read
them you can see that the changes in the music is well expressive of
their varied sense.  As for the varied sounds of the music itself, these
range from the utmost stillness, in a chant style, to driving rhythms,
some of which are in fact reminiscent of--yes, Orff at times, and perhaps
Glass.  The chorus can be very full-throated also.  There are a fair
number of silent moments in the music and the gamba solos contrast with
give relief from the vocal passages, which can be intense.  Some passages
sound Andean.

It surprised me to learn that Einhorn, an American, studied at Columbia
with Ussachevsky and Davidovsky, pioneers of electronic music forty
years ago.  (I have to admit I don't know what they have done since.)
To be sure, Einhorn uses a synthesizer in his composing process, but I
certainly would not have known that from the performance here.  (Among
composers of the past, Einhorn's tastes range from Perotin, to Bach, to
Bartok and Stravinsky, among those he mentions.) It was also surprising
to learn that although Einhorn worked as a producer of recordings, he
was reluctant to promote his own work, to the extent of turning down an
initial request from the office of Peter Gelb at Sony for a tape of a
performance.  Fortunately for many listeners he was persuaded to relent.
For me, this has instantly become a cherished recording, and I strongly
doubt that that will change.

Jim Tobin