Francis Poulenc - O magnum mysterium (Ensemble vocal Les Métaboles)
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Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963):
FOUR CHRISTMAS MOTETS (Quatre Motets pour le Temps de Noël)
1. O magnum mysterium (O great mystery)
Francis Poulenc was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. He was among the first composers to see the importance of the gramophone, and he recorded extensively from 1928 onwards.
These exquisite miniatures paint four colourful scenes from the nativity story. "O magnum mysterium" is the most profound of them: slow and (by Poulenc’s standards) harmonically austere, it grows in intensity toward the final repetition of the main text, via an intimate verse in praise of the Virgin.
The image of the oxen and donkey next to the crib is found in Isaiah 1:3 and is traditionally related to the nativity scene at the birth of Jesus. Luke 2:7 does not mention animals, but a manger. In the apocryphal "Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew", both animals are specifically named. The image continued to spread from the 13th century onwards. It became the most popular symbol for the mystery of the self-abasement of God in his Incarnation (Phil 2:6–7).
Only about four months to Christmas, and a great mystery yet again will unfold...
O magnum mysterium
et admirabile sacramentum,
ut animalia viderent Dominum natum
jacentem in praesepio.
O beata Virgo, cujus viscera meruerunt
portare Dominum Jesum Christum.
Alleluia!
O great mystery
and wonderful sacrament,
that the animals should see the new-born Lord
lying in a manger.
Blessed is the Virgin whose womb was worthy
to bear Christ the Lord.
Alleluia!
Recorded at l'église luthérienne des Billettes, Paris (France)
Ensemble vocal Les Métaboles (2015)
Conducted by Léo Warynski
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