 Le temps de Rolle serait-il venu ? A 28 ans , il compose une Passion lumineuse, commencée par un chœur quasi séraphique. L’aiguillon de la mort est ôté, le récit, solaire et alerte, semble annoncer dans chaque station de la Passion le miracle de la Résurrection, y ajoutant tout un petit théâtre des émotions qui anticipe sur l’univers des fils Bach, alors même que l’œuvre est contemporaine de la mise au net définitive de la Passion selon Saint Jean qu’entreprend alors Johann Sebastian Bach. C’est assez dire que Rolle s’émancipe de la tradition dramatique, de la tension narrative des Passions pratiquées en Allemagne depuis Schütz, sans pour autant céder à la veine doloriste, au maniérisme. Son model serait-il Telemann, auteurs de Passions plus resserrées qui font la part belle aux arias ? Rolle fait de même, ponctuant son ouvrage relativement bref (une heure et demi) de six grandes arias qui parfois ne dépareraient pas la scène lyrique, ce que donnent à entendre les solistes réunis par Michael Alexander Willens, surtout Siri Thornhill et Elvira Bill, mais le ténor lui aussi a son aria et des plus émouvantes, portrait psychologique de Pierre après son reniement où la culpabilité se transmue en espoir. Passion heureuse, tout entière tournée vers la rédemption, dont seuls les chorals font écho à Bach, complément évident de la Matthäuspassion publiés par les mêmes voici peu. (Jean-Charles Hoffelé) After Johann Heinrich Rolle's St. Matthew Passion was recorded a few years ago by the Cologne Academy under its director Michael Alexander Willens (1074581) and presented to the public with great success, now follows the St. Luke Passion by the same composer, composed for the Passion season of 1744. The Gospel of Luke in Martin Luther's translation from chapter 22, verse 39 to the end of chapter 23 serves as the textual basis; unfortunately, the author of the newly composed texts is not known. In Role's dramaturgical concept, a division of the work into several sections can be discerned. Each section contains reporting recitatives, ariosi, turba choruses, possibly structuring interior chorales, and a central aria. A central role is played by the six arias, which on the one hand are resting points in the course of the dramatic events, and on the other hand are intended as a reflection of the individual on the events. Each aria has its own melodic and tonal character and represents a work of art in itself. Role's interpretation of Luke's text forms an important building block for a still outstanding overall description of central and northern German Passion compositions of the 18th century. For his own oeuvre, the work represents an important step toward his later musical dramas because of its consistent section-by-section composition. The music is captivating for its beauty of sound, its melodic and harmonic invention, and its dramatic design. Although it is undoubtedly a youthful work by a man barely thirty years old, his skill and mastery are as unmistakable then as they are now.
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