The Boston-based chamber ensemble Musicians of the Old Post Road (MOPR) specializes in the period instrument performance of dynamic and diverse music from the Baroque to early Romantic eras. Their latest album "Into the Light" features rediscovered music by the German composer Christoph Graupner (1683-1760), including world premiere recordings. We spoke with MOPR co-artistic directors Suzanne Stumpf and Dan Ryan about the new album, performing on historical instruments, Graupner’s music and his world, and more.
How did you first become aware of the composer Christoph Graupner (1683-1760)?
The first work we performed by Graupner was a trio sonata for flute, viola d’amore and continuo. We programmed that for a concert on which we featured unusual Baroque instruments. We were very struck by his originality and decided to investigate more of his oeuvre.
Why do you think his music has been neglected until recently?
Graupner’s works were locked in a legal battle after his death. Graupner’s heirs wanted to sell his manuscripts to the successors of the Landgrave of Darmstadt, Graupner’s employer. But the successors contended that they already owned the music because Graupner had been employed by the Landgrave, and the concept of intellectual property rights did not exist at the time.
This was not resolved until late in the 19th century, then the two World Wars limited access to the collection in the first half of the 20th century. The Darmstadt library now has possession of his manuscripts and has made them available. They have been most helpful to us and are very excited about our advocacy efforts.
What makes his music stand out from his contemporaries?
Graupner’s musical language and musical devices are very original, and his music can be very dramatic and poignant. He is able to spin out a dramatic musical tale, if you will, using very minimal motivic material. He also makes great use of instrumental textures which he creates using the motifs that he selects for each movement. His harmonic sequences also take unexpected turns.
Each of the works that we feature on our Into the Light album make use of very unusual musical devices. Some examples include the roles of the treble instruments in his Trio Sonata in B Minor. Rather than using the typical sharing and passing back and forth of main and accompanying themes, he assigns very different roles and motivic material to the flute and violin in the two outer movements of the sonata. In the first movement of his Quartet in G Minor, he uses pervasive, repeated rests in the accompanying parts that create a transparent texture that allows the listener to follow the theme as it is passed among the string instruments. His G Major Sonata for obbligato harpsichord is written with two accompanying instruments—flute and cello—which itself is unusual, but then he leaves the cello out for most of the second movement, and leads the movement into a very haunting texture between pulsing repeated pitches on the flute together with slow arpeggiation in the harpsichord part. And, the flute concerto we include does not have the usual alternating sections between tuttis and solos that are a standard part of most concertos. After the opening tutti, the flute solo begins and continues through the entire rest of the movement until the closing tutti at the end. These are just but a few examples of his originality!
What are the challenges and/or rewards of performing Graupner’s music?
Both the challenge and reward of performing Graupner’s works are the uniqueness of his compositional techniques and his musical language. The devices and tools he uses are so off the beaten track of most Baroque compositional techniques that on first reading it is sometimes difficult to understand what he is getting at! However, by spending time deciphering his intention and messages in each work, his musical voice and language come clearer and clearer. This process in itself is very rewarding, and we have truly enjoyed our role in striving to understand his intentions and advocating for the power and genius in his works for modern audiences.
Musicians of the Old Post Road specializes in “period instrument performances.” Can you give us some details about what that entails?
Our ensemble specializes in the performance of Baroque, Classical, and early Romantic music on period instruments. We all use historical instruments or replicas in our work together. And we all have the specialized equipment needed for each of those eras as instruments all underwent structural changes across the time period of our repertoire from the 1670s to the 1840s (which by the way is the timeframe that the Old Boston Post Road itself flourished!) The string instruments are typically set up with gut strings, and the bows vary in structure and length. The flutes during those years were most typically made of wood, and the acoustical properties of the instruments are such that there are different personalities that result from playing in different keys.
We use harpsichords for Baroque music and early pianos for Classical and Romantic repertoire. As specialists on these instruments, we feel that the sound world that they offer is helpful in finding what was in the composers’ ears at the time they were writing—the sound of the historical instruments certainly offers helpful influences in our interpretations. Our audiences are always struck by the beautiful timbres of these instruments and how they bring the music to life.