is a well-known libretto by the most
prominent poet and librettist of the
18th century, Pietro Metastasio. It
is based on the book of Judith,
from the Apocrypha of the Bible. The
subject was used by many composers
during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1771) and
Johann Gottlieb Naumann (1796) are
only two of many composers of the
18th century who used Metastasio's
Naumann was the dominant
musical personality in Dresden between
Johann Adolf Hasse (1699–1783) and
Carl Maria von Weber (1786–1826).
Here he also received his first musical
education at the Kreuzschule. As a
teenager he travelled to Italy to
broaden his horizons. There he met,
among others, Giuseppe Tartini and
'Padre' Giovanni Battista Martini.
After his return to Dresden he became
chamber and church composer in 1765
and Kapellmeister in 1776. Ten years
later he was appointed Oberkapellmeister,
a clear sign of great appreciation
by Prince Elector Friedrich August
III. It was therefore no surprise
that the Prince Elector himself asked
Naumann to write an oratorio for Lenten
season in 1796. Naumann, being in
poor health, refused. As a result
the oratorio for that year was written
by Joseph Schuster (1748–1812), Saxon
court music director since 1787. Naumann
nevertheless started to work on the
oratorio, which was completed shortly
before Pentecost. It was therefore
not performed, but was kept by the
Nine years later,
four years after Naumann's death,
the oratorio was finally given its
first performance. The reasons for
this were twofold: Naumann was still
held in high esteem years after his
death, and the subject of the oratorio
was very appropriate in regard to
the political situation. The Electorate
of Saxony was under constant threat
from France, and in 1806 its resistance
finally broke down. 'Betulia Liberata'
is about the city of Betulia in Israel
which is beleaguered by the Assyrians.
Its situation is becoming more precarious
by the day, and the inhabitants begin
to consider surrender. But then one
of them, Judith, announces that she
has a plan to liberate the city. She
leaves Betulia and visits Holofernes,
the captain of the Assyrians. She
has dinner with him, and when he is
drunk she kills him with his own sword
and takes his head with her to show
it to the people. It is the beginning
of the end of the siege of the city.
Metastasio had no political situation
in mind while writing the libretto,
and many composers in the 18th century
had used it without any political
motive either, but in this case it
is hard not to connect the oratorio's
subject with then current affairs.
The same subject had been used by
Vivaldi (Judita triumphans)
in 1716, when Venice was threatened
by the Turks.
Considering the change
in taste during the last quarter of
the 18th century it may be surprising
that Naumann used this libretto, as
Metastasio is mainly associated with
a time in which musical life was dominated
by royal and aristocratic courts.
Dresden was one of those places where
not that much had changed: as late
as 1821 another oratorio on a libretto
by Metastasio was performed. Naumann
pays tribute to the changing taste
of the time, though: not only is the
libretto abridged – he omitted several
arias which are included in, for instance,
Mozart's setting. He also made cuts
in the recitatives and breaks with
the pattern of an endless sequence
of (secco) recitatives and arias by
creating larger scenes in which recitatives
grade into an aria or vice versa.
Some recitatives are interrupted by
choruses, and there are a couple of
arias for solo and chorus. Almost
all the recitatives are 'accompagnato'
where the voice is supported by the
orchestra. Only in some passages where
no action is involved – for example
the dispute about religious matters
between Ozias and Achior – does Naumann
make use of the secco recitative.
One could argue that
this oratorio is not really dramatic.
For instance there is no direct confrontation
between Judith and Holofernes: the
latter doesn't even appear in the
oratorio - as in Vivaldi's oratorio
mentioned above. What has happened
is told by Judith, and is therefore
considerably more static. The most
dramatic part is at the start, when
Ozias, the governor of Betulia, is
accused of inaction by the noblewoman
Amital, who pleads for surrender.
It is the way the different protagonists
deal with this situation which is
the main attraction of this oratorio.
The performance doesn't
make the mistake of trying to make
this work more dramatic than it is.
Ozias is sung by Markus Schäfer,
who is not to everyone's liking judging
by the reviews of some of his recordings,
probably because his voice is a bit
sharp. But I mostly like his performances,
because he articulates very well and
differentiates very convincingly in
the realisation of his part here.
Salomé Haller gives a good
portrayal of his critic, Amital, who
is a bit of a spitfire. Judith is
quite different: quiet and unflappable,
with a great trust in God. Nele Gramß
gives a fine account of her role.
Her report of her actions after her
return into the city could probably
have been a little more declamatory.
Harry van der Kamp (Achior) is especially
impressive in this respect, when he
reports how he has been left by Holofernes,
and in his dispute with Ozias. Hans
Jörg Mammel has a rather small
role as Carmi, a leader of the people,
which he realises well. The Rheinische
Kantorei is perhaps a bit small with
just sixteen voices, but they sing
the choruses very well. After all,
they are one of the finest choirs
in the early music scene. And the
orchestra, almost always in action
during this oratorio, validates its
reputation by giving powerful and
colourful performances of the orchestral
With this recording
Hermann Max continues his exploration
of the German oratorio of the 18th
and early 19th centuries. This has
resulted in a series of fine recordings,
like the one reviewed here. I hope
he has the opportunity to continue.
It is to be hoped that this will result
in recordings of some of the other
eleven oratorios by Naumann, who was
an interesting and very fine composer,
as Betulia Liberata testifies.
Johan van Veen