This oratorio by Gonzalo Grau, commissioned by the International Bach Academy Stuttgart (and it's director Helmuth Rilling), sings of the ways of water: about the hidden ways in which water flows under the earth, the blessings of rain, of the destructive wrath of water bursting it's banks. It's theme is also the lamenting about water sources poisoned by people, and acid rain, caused by the unbridled progress of the human race.

Tchaikovsky’s orchestral works are widely known and frequently performed. This release aims to expose some of his lesser known compositions: his a capella choral works for Russian Orthodox services. This album includes four of the thirteen choruses which make up his Opus 41. While exhibiting the feeling of the Old Russian church hymns, these pieces also point to the future of compositions, as they seethe with Tchaikovsky’s forward style. Performing these works is the NDR Choir, conducted by Philipp Ahmann. The choir is one of Germany’s foremost chamber choirs, and has received stellar critical reviews for their previous recordings.

The Carus Classics series feature outstanding CD productions from Carus’ past library of recordings. These 1998 recordings of Mozart’s Litanies and Vesper settings feature four vocal soloists together with conductor Tõnu Kaljuste leading the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir. “…the works display a joy of experimentation through their variety of form…the performers’ joy of making music…shows the quality of the compositions.” (Musica sacra, 2000)

With its highly complex and artful opening chorus, the cantata "Ein feste Burg" is one of the highlights among Bach's cantatas. With the Kammerchor Stuttgart under Frieder Bernius and the soloists Sarah Wegener, David Allsopp, Thomas Hobbs and Peter Harvey, this masterpiece finds a more than adequate recording here. The cantata is supplemented by the Missa brevis in G minor, BWV 235, one of the four Lutheran masses Bach composed at the end of the 1730s. The Kammerchor Stuttgart, which was founded by Frieder Bernius, has gained a reputation as one of the foremost European vocal ensembles, its changing to accomodate the given stylistic requirements. The ensemble has won many international prizes and has made frequent guest appearances in most European radio stations and at festivals. In 1988/89 the schedule of the Kammerchor Stuttgart included concert tours of the Far East, Poland, the USA, Italy, France and the Netherlands. Some 40 albums have been recorded, many of them winning prizes.

Classical Music

Carus presents Baroque bird arias and love songs as performed by the Collegium Flauto e voce and the singers Susan Eitrich and Ute Kreidler. As can be discerned from the variety of arias on this recording, the imagination of the poets was as boundless as that of the composers. In its proximity to human as well as bird song, but especially in the simple beauty of its sound, the recorder appealed immediately to listeners of yore as much as it appeals to today’s listeners.

Commemorating the centennial anniversary of Max Reger’s death, this new release contains Reger’s Three motets Op. 110 and his Chorale cantata “O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden.” Reger’s Three motets were composed during thefinal days of tonality, which Reger stretches with his intricate, complex counterpoints and textures. His chorale cantata “O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden” has not been frequently recorded. The piece, based on Paul Gerhardt’s Passion hymn, is an often overlooked masterwork of choral music. These pieces are performed by the SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart, conducted by Frieder Bernius.

... The sound of 35 women's voices has a beautiful balance. The Rheinberger choral pieces are rendered here clearly and are dynamically very rich in shading.

Classical Music

On the occasion of it's 40th anniversary Carus has initiated a new series Carus Classics, featuring ten outstanding CD productions from the past library of recordings. This exclusive collection, designed by Friedrich Forssman and Cornelia Feyll, is presented in high-quality DigiPacs and each CD includes an extensive booklet. '... exemplary recording.' (New Classics, September 2005)

Johann Adam Hiller’s six collections of four-part motets and arias, published 1776-91, offer a rich selection of works mostly from the second half of the 18th c. and give insight into a new blossoming of the motet, which it then experienced after having led a shadowy existence for more than a century. Here the Saxon Vocal Ensemble under founder Matthias Jung presents a selection of the most beautiful pieces from these collections. The SVW (Ger.) often features seldom-heard works by 18th c. Saxon composers. Varying between 18 and 28 singers depending on need, the ensemble performs contemporary music.

Classical Music

On the occasion of it's 40th anniversary Carus has initiated a new series Carus Classics, featuring ten outstanding CD productions from the past library of recordings. This exclusive collection, designed by Friedrich Forssman and Cornelia Feyll, is presented in high-quality DigiPacs and each CD includes an extensive booklet. '... exemplary recording.' (New Classics, September 2005)

Classical Music

Though perhaps not best known for composing hymns, Telemann collected the most popular chorales of his time in what became known as the Telemannisches Gesangbuch. Published in 1730, many of these 2,000 hymns are still sung today in worship. This release gathers 30 of the best-loved chorales together for a spiritual experience grounded in history.