Prior to this 2008 release by
Ingo Metzmacher, there had been five legitimate recordings of
Hans Pfitzner's oratorio Von deutscher Seele listed in the international catalogs: the 1945
Clemens Krauss, the 1952
Eugen Jochum, the 1959
Joseph Keilberth, the 1986
Heinrich Hollreiser, and the 1999
Martin Sieghart. From this discography, two things are immediately apparent: first, Von deutscher Seele was much more popular in the 15 years after the war than at any time since, and second, there does seem to be some signs of growth in interest in the work over the last 20 years.
For those who don't already know the work -- which would presumably include most classical listeners -- Von deutscher Seele (On the German Soul) may require a brief introduction. Written in 1921 by avowedly nationalist German composer
Hans Pfitzner, the work sets poetry by Joseph von Eichendorff for four soloists, mixed chorus, and large orchestra with its 24 movements divided into two equal parts: "Mensch und Natur" (Man and Nature) and "Leben und Singen" (Life and Singing).
Pfitzner's music most resembles
Schumann and
Brahms, though there's a hint of Wagnerian chromaticism in his harmonies, but he does have his own voice, highly conservative, yes, but sincere, determined, and capable of telling a good joke, something one can say of few German composers in 1921. Given all that, how well does this 2008 recording of Von deutscher Seele with
Ingo Metzmacher leading the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin hold up? Well enough:
Metzmacher cut his conducting teeth leading performances of symphonies by
Henze and Hartmann, and he certainly has the technique and dedication to pull off a persuasive performance. Here, he guides his forces through a confident and coherent performance that touches greatness in the orchestral interludes and the finale. The Berlin orchestra is polished and professional, the chorus weighty but articulate, and the soloists generally quite fine, though mezzo-soprano
Nathalie Stutzmann proves particularly impressive. Compared with the two more recent performances by
Hollreiser and
Sieghart,
Metzmacher's is much more convincing. Compared with the three performances from the postwar years,
Metzmacher surpasses
Keilberth's stodgy account but can't touch
Jochum's sweep and
Krauss' unwavering conviction. Of course, Phoenix Edition's clear, colorful sound is vastly superior to all but
Sieghart's, to which it is only somewhat superior. In short, if you like
Mahler's Eighth and want to try something similar but more echt Deutsch, you can't go wrong with
Metzmacher's Von deutscher Seele.