One of the duties of the office of municipal music director in Hamburg was to perform a Passion every year during Lent, alternating from year to year according to the evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Telemann took on this task with particular fervour and created a total of 46 passions throughout his time in Hamburg, from spring 1722 until his death in 1767, half of which are unfortunately lost today.

It is both regrettable and incomprehensible that Louis Spohr is virtually unknown today as a composer of oratorios, as he was extremely highly regarded as such by his contemporaries. Among musicologists at least, he is counted together with Mendelssohn as one of the most important German composers of oratorios in the first half of the 19th century. Under the impression of a performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion, Spohr wrote his Passion oratorio Des Heilands letzte Stunden WoO 62 in 1834, which reports the Passion events from an unusual perspective: Instead of an evangelist, the disciple Johannes takes on the role of the narrator directly involved in the events. Together with Mary, the mother of Jesus, he describes the story of Jesus' Passion - in an almost operatic and dramatic manner. The scenes before the judgment of Caiaphas and at the cross with the musically painted earthquake are particularly remarkable. With this conception, Spohr met the public's taste exactly, as people expected not only religious edification from such a work, but also a gripping plot. The premiere in Kassel in 1835 was correspondingly successful. Four years later, an English version was performed in Norwich, where, according to the Times, hundreds were moved to tears. No wonder, then, that Spohr considered this oratorio to be one of the best he had ever composed. Frieder Bernius and the Kammerchor Stuttgart, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and an outstanding ensemble of soloists (Johanna Winkel, Maximilian Vogler, Florian Sievers, Arttu Kataja, Thomas E. Bauer, Felix Rathgeber and Magnus Piontek) make this jewel of early 19th century sacred choral music available again on CARUS in an exquisite recording.

Michael Praetorius is, without doubt, one of the trailblazing composers of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. His synthesis of simple, folk-like chorales with the lush aesthetics of the new Italian style make him one of the most multifaceted and innovative musicians of his time. For the Reformation Year 2017, the ensemble Gli Scarlattisti under the direction of Jochen M. Arnold presents a series of his chorale concertos for larger ensembles, based mainly on texts by Martin Luther and Philipp Nicolai. With their witty and eloquent musicianship, the performers invite their listeners to explore the impressive oeuvre of one of the fathers of Protestant church music!

V 1: CHURCH MUSIC

NINE GERMAN ARIAS

WACH AUF, MEINS HERZENS SCHONE

LUX AETERNA

Johann Sebastian Bach's incomplete surviving works have a very special appeal. The music seems to be within our grasp and yet it still leaves us puzzled. What might these works have sounded like?The cantatas Ehre sei Gott in der Hohe (BWV 197. 1), Alles, was von Gott geboren (BWV 80. 1) and Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied (BWV 190. 1) have also only survived in fragments - and yet they fascinate us with their musical power. The opening chorus from the New Year's cantata BWV 190. 1, for example, is one of Bach's most sonorous choral compositions. Carus has recently published reconstructions of these three cantatas, which attempt to make a previously unknown Bach accessible. The Vocalensemble Rastatt, the baroque orchestra Les Favorites and the soloists Miriam Feuersinger, Terry Wey, Florian Sievers and Sebastian Noack, under the direction of Holger Speck, show with their differentiated interpretation how these works might have sounded under Bach's direction.

LIGHTEN MINE EYES

JEPHTHA

GEISTLICHE CHOR-MUSIC 1648

LOUIS VIERNE: PIÈCES DE FANTAI

MESSE IN E

MISSA NR. 12

SAUL