HASSE Requiem in C. Miserere in c • Hans-Christoph Rademann, cond; Johanna Winkel, Marie Luise Werneburg (sop); Wiebke Lehmkuhl, Marlen Herzog (alt); Colin Balzer (ten); Cornelius Uhle (bs); Dresden C Ch; Dresden Baroque O (period instruments) • CARUS 83.349 (70:15 Text and Translation)


Carus Verlag of Stuttgart has an interesting dual purpose to its business by releasing discs such as this based upon its latest scores and parts. In general, this has been quite interesting, even given that the recording arm is now owned by Naxos, but the result has been a concentrated effort on composers whose names were mostly well known but whose works were little performed. I can say that the scores are generally quite nicely edited, and it is good to have such works as the two pieces performed here available in the series Music from Dresden . Johann Adolph Hasse is one of the pivotal figures of the 18th century. Married to soprano Faustina Bordoni and heir to George Frederick Handel’s title of “Il caro sassone,” he was a principal figure in opera and church music in Dresden, where he was Hofkapellmeister , but also in Italy, where he was commissioned to write up through his late-70s, as well as functioning as maestro di cappella at the Ospedale degli Incurabili. One might expect a vast amount of music to have been written during this time, and indeed this is the case, for he composed frequently and eloquently at the drop of the proverbial hat for any occasion. Like Telemann, he had no qualms about fulfilling any commission that was given him, no matter how large or trivial, and his style conformed to whatever the tastes were at that moment.


Hasse composed two Requiem Masses for Dresden, one in E?-Major (also recorded by Carus and the Dresden Baroque Orchestra) and this one in C Major. Both works seem to have been written in 1763 within a few weeks of each other, this one for Frederick August II and the other for his successor who kicked off only a couple of weeks later. Because Frederick August was a beloved leader, his obsequies seem to have been celebrated annually for almost a century, and Hasse’s music became a fixture in Dresden, even though it had long since gone out of fashion stylistically. The work is sprawling, with the text subdivided into numerous smaller movements and scored for a large ensemble. C Major may have been a rather odd key for a Requiem, but Hasse found that path between mourning and celebration of his ruler’s life that avoided a more maudlin setting in a minor key. Besides, he seems to have been less interested in an integrated work than one which would accompany a grand public event. In any case, the result is rather a mixed bag. For me, the opening presents one of the most suspenseful of the period, with a slow tattoo of tonic and dominant confusing the issue of key. Is it C Major, or is it C Minor? When the oboes enter, the major key becomes apparent, but at the words “et lux perpetua,” the shift to minor mode is both funereal and emotional. This captures the attention immediately, but expectations rise and fall during the course of the work. The Te decet hymnus is an old-fashioned paean with Baroque walking bass, and while the Kyrie is worthy of any major-key Mass by Joseph Haydn, the following highly contrapuntal Christe eleison with its strange harmonic twists seems anachronistic, even as it foils expectations. One might expect the Dies irae to have grist for a powerful image of the Last Judgment, but instead it is a rather weak homophonic chorus over dotted rhythms. There is nice woodwind writing in the Inter oves , reminding one of C. P. E. Bach, and the Lacrymosa ’s heavy, minor-key, ponderous tread is less gentle tears than weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth. There are operatic moments, such as the delightful alto solo in the Recordare , and when Hasse pairs his women’s voices, such as the lyrical Hostias et preces , or the Sanctus with its pair of sopranos at the beginning and at the Hosanna in excelsis , we are more in the heavenly realm than heading in the opposite direction (musically speaking, of course). The final Lux aeterna , followed by a recap of the opening Requiem aeternam , is brief and to the point, with an all-male chorus.


The Requiem itself is too long to be paired with a similar work but too short for a single disc, and therefore Carus has opted to include a Miserere written originally for Venice. This apparently survives in a copy for Dresden with a four-part chorus, as opposed to the first version, which was for women’s voices only, in deference to the Ospedale forces. It is a competently composed but rather more pedestrian work. The tone is lighter, such as the operatic Tibi soli or the Quoniam si voluisses , and the chorus more homophonic (though there is a bit of counterpoint as required at the final Amen ).


The performance by the Dresden early-instrument ensemble seems competent enough. The individual soloists for each movement are not enumerated on the track list, though one can probably intuit who sings which part. The voices in general blend well together, particularly sopranos Johanna Winkel and Marie Luise Werneburg, while Wiebke Lehmkuhl has a nice rich tone to her voice. Colin Balzer’s tenor can be a bit light at times, but his tone likewise is clear and unambiguous. Cornelius Uhle’s bass also fits in quite well, and in the Tibi soli he handles the part with ease. Hans-Christoph Rademann keeps his ensemble’s tempos moving along at a respectful pace, but he avoids any breakneck speeds and so allows the music to emerge well. I would have loved a bit more life in the Miserere , but Hasse’s conventionality probably prevents any real moments of brilliant light in the interpretation. My only qualm is the recorded sound, in which the strings are often a bit strident and one can hear the scraping of bows. The trumpets, too, could be more secure. You’ll probably want this disc if you are a fan of Requiems, and certainly the work would appeal to those interested in 18th-century music. It is certainly a decent recording, and brooks comparison with Hasse’s other Requiem.


FANFARE: Bertil van Boer

This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.

Carus is building a valuable stable of recordings, many taped in the Frauenkirche in Dresden. For this three CD set the NDR Choir, Festspiel Orchester Göttingen, a sextet of solo singers and Nicholas McGegan have been enlisted to render Samson to the disc-buying public. The result, if I can anticipate my own critical comments, is an equable and well, but small scaled, performance. There are no outstanding singers as such; instead ensemble virtues are promoted in pursuance of a harmonious and expressively equable reading of the score.

One of the most striking things about the set is the excellent diction and spirited incision of the NDR Chorus. The relatively new Festspiel Orchester Göttingen employs period instruments and, as with almost all bands promoted by Carus that I have encountered, are a most adept, rhythmically buoyant and sympathetic one. McGegan directs with style and if one sometimes feels him a little lacking in brio - I tend to feel the same way about his compatriot Robert King in this sort of repertoire - then compensation comes in the shape of his long-term control and of the rise and fall of the work's emotive high ground. Recitative is notably well judged, accompanied recitative especially, where the band points finely, and these are the result of McGegan's acumen.

But Samson is about the voice and here we have some matters to ponder. The singers have been well selected to ensure that warmth and a certain limited expressive range is harmoniously maintained - which is not to say there aren't some outbursts, of which more in a moment. It is all too easy, when this work is staged or semi-staged, as it has been, to allow Samson's gravitational pull to splinter ensemble focus. I saw John Vickers's last performances on a London stage, when he sang Samson, and though this wasn't quite the case here, it was obvious where all eyes and ears were directed. In this Carus things are, for want of a better phrase, democratically apportioned.

Franziska Gottwald is a sonorous but not over inflated Micah - she sings with equalized tone and requisite plangency, as well as fine English diction. It's a voice that can take on a pleasing keen, as in her Act II aria with chorus Return Oh God of Hosts. Thomas Cooley is Samson; he sings with pleasing, neatly controlled eloquence but it's rather small-scaled and arguably a bit neutral, something I felt about his Total Eclipse! which should be more starkly and incontrovertibly conveyed. William Berger has a warm, rounded bass and does well throughout; his recitative control is evident as early as Act I's Oh miserable change! where the band accompanies with spirited interjectory drama. His How willing my paternal love is sensitively graded, modest but not especially expressive. Sophie Daneman sings a pretty but perhaps subdued Let the Bright Seraphim but otherwise gives a controlled, pleasing account. Bass Wolf Matthias Friedrich sports some well nourished but incongruously employed open American vowels, not least in Honour and Arms which gets rather a 'windy' reading.

Who sings the Virgin in Act II, to shadow Daneman? I assume it's a member of the choir but she should be credited, especially as she's good.

The Raymond Leppard directed modern instrument performance is still going strong, and with Janet Baker, Helen Watts, Robert Tear, John Shirley-Quirk and Benjamin Luxon you're assured of first class singing of a certain stamp [Warner Classics 6 CDs 2564695686 - a box set with Messiah and assorted arias]. Harnoncourt [Teldec 2564692602] has pressing claims as does the old Richter with Alexander Young et al [Archiv 453 245 2]. Harry Christophers' 1996 recording with Lynne Dawson, Lynda Russell, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Mark Padmore, Matthew Vine, Thomas Randle, Jonathan Best and Michael George is ex-Collins and now on Coro 16008 and is the major opposition. I prefer the Christophers. 

Recorded over two days this is an SACD and sounds a touch reverberant in the tricky acoustic of the Frauenkirche. There are some small cuts, for example To Song and Dance. Whilst admiring the overall, equable nature of the performance, the Christophers gets a more urgent recommendation.

-- Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International

An excellent performance.

George Frideric Handel left a large oeuvre, most of it written after he had left Germany. As a result very few compositions on a German text are known. For some time a St John Passion was attributed to Handel, but there now seems general agreement that it was written by someone else. That leaves the nine German arias and the Brockes Passion. Although they are on German texts Handel wrote them while he was living in England.
 
Handel used the well-known libretto 'Der für die Sünden der Welt gemarterte und sterbende Jesus' (Jesus who suffered and died for the sins of the world) written by Barthold Heinrich Brockes. It was also set by other composers: Reinhard Keiser (1712, the same year the libretto was published), Georg Philipp Telemann in 1716 (the same year as Handel) and Johann Mattheson in 1718. The latter performed all four in Holy Week of 1719 in the refectory of Hamburg Cathedral. This church was a kind of sanctuary in Hamburg because it was not under the supervision of the city council. Brockes' text was of a dramatic nature and offered a composer much opportunity to write in an operatic style. That kind of Passion music was certainly not approved of by the ecclesiastical authorities.
 
The Brockes Passion was one of the first in the new genre of the Passion oratorio in which the text of the Gospels was paraphrased. The report of the events is delivered by the Evangelist, the other characters in the Gospels are also represented - Judas, Peter, Pilate, - but there are also two symbolic characters: Tochter Zion (Daughter of Sion) and Gläubige Seele (the Believer) who reflect and comment on the events. They take most of the arias, and are mostly scored for soprano. Because of the number of arias some are performed by Johanna Winkel, who also takes the role of the Believer. Two arias of the Believer and one of Daughter of Sion are given to a tenor, and are sung here by Markus Brutscher. And another aria of the Believer is scored for bass: 'Wie kommt's, dass da der Himmel weint', sung by Michael Dahmen.
 
Handel explored the operatic character of the libretto to the full. It is hardly surprising that he used material from this Passion in later years for some of his English oratorios. The text is set in a very expressive way, not only for the voice but also for the instruments. Two arias are given to Jesus, another feature of the Passion oratorio. These two - 'Mein Vater, schau wie ich' and 'Ist's möglich, dass dein Zorn', which have the same musical material and are divided by a recitative - are introduced by dramatic chords from the strings. Descending chords lead to Peter's aria 'Schau, ich fall' in strenger Busse': "See, I fall on my knees at your feet as a penance". A kind of operatic dialogue is the scene in Gethsemane, when Jesus urges his disciples to stay awake. Also reminiscent of opera are the rage arias; there are no less than four in this oratorio.
 
In some arias instruments play a prominent role. The aria 'Dem Himmel gleicht sein buntgefärbter Rücken' - which with some textual differences also appears in Bach's St John Passion - contains an extended solo for the violin. The highly expressive aria 'Die ihr Gottes Gnad' versäumet' has a beautiful obbligato part for the oboe. And the last aria of this oratorio, 'Wisch ab der Tränen scharfe Lauge', begins with an introduction by the strings, after which soprano and oboe proceed alone in unisono. These are just some examples of the many splendid arias this oratorio contains. In addition there are two duets, between Daughter of Sion and Jesus, and between Mary and Jesus respectively. The latter and the preceding recitative are the only passages which are given to Mary.
 
Handel's manuscript has not been preserved. For this recording a copy was used – one made by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is not known whether he copied it to perform in Leipzig or just out of interest. In this copy the text of the first chorus has been changed. Brockes' text begins with the words: "Mich vom Stricke meiner Sünden zu entbinden". Here we get: "Kommet, ihr verworfnen Sünder".
 
Considering that Handel's Brockes Passion was first performed in the refectory of Hamburg Cathedral one wonders how large the ensemble would have been. A choir of 27 singers is probably a bit on the large side. On the other hand, the oratorio has been performed again in later years, probably also in larger venues, and that could well be an argument in favour of a larger ensemble. I have nothing but praise for the choir, though. It produces a powerful sound where it is due, in particular in the 'turbae'. But the chorales are also beautifully sung.
 
What is so admirable about this performance is that it has absolutely no weak link. Peter Neumann has brought together a really excellent cast, which is stylistically on the same wavelength. The two sopranos have gorgeous voices; they are not that different, but here that is not really necessary. They sing the more dramatic recitatives and arias just as brilliantly as the more reflective parts. Markus Brutscher gives a splendid account of the part of the Evangelist. His articulation and diction are exemplary. If there is one thing to criticise it is that the recitatives are sometimes too strict in time, with too little rhythmic freedom. This is a problem with recordings of baroque vocal music which I have noticed quite often.
 
Markus Flaig performs the role of Jesus just as well, both in the recitatives and in the arias. Elvira Bill's performance of the small role of Maria is very moving, and her duet with Markus Flaig is one of the highlights of this recording. Apparently Michael Damen sings all the smaller bass roles - although the booklet omits to tell us - and he does so convincingly. Jan Thomer sings the role of Judas, including another operatic aria (Lasst diese Tat nicht ungerochen), and James Oxley the role of Peter, and both do so beautifully. Lastly the orchestra gives excellent support to the singers and greatly contributes to the drama which unfolds.
 
There are not that many recordings of Handel's Brockes Passion. The only one I have is directed by Nicholas McGegan (originally released on Hungaroton, later reissued on Brilliant Classics). That is a quite good performance, but this new recording surpasses it. In my view it sets a new standard for every future recording of this work.
 
-- Johan van Veen, MusicWeb International

There is some uncertainty about precisely which year, but 2011/2012 sees the 400th anniversary of the birth of Andreas Hammerschmidt (1611/12-1675), one of the most important masters of the early German Baroque. His vocal works are known to the wider public today through just a few pieces such as “Machet die Tore weit”. Hammerschmidt ranks alongside the greatest Protestant-Lutheran church music composers including Schütz, Schein, Rosenmüller, and Bach. His output encompasses a wide range of the most varied musical forms: sacred concertos and cantatas, motets and instrumental pieces, and secular vocal works. Like Schütz, Hammerschmidt’s music is also strongly text-inspired and yet at the same time, musically artistic. This CD with the ensemble Gli Scarlattisti presents Andreas Hammerschmidt’s vocal compositions for Advent in a thematic and theologically-liturgically arranged sequence, a revealing complement to a Latin Magnificat setting by his contemporary Johann Rosenmüller (1619-1684). The vocal ensemble Gli Scarlattisti was founded in 1995 by Jochen M. Arnold and comprises professional singers from Germany and Switzerland.

HAMMERSCHMIDT Also hat Gott den Welt geliebt; Herzlich lieb hab ich dich; Jauchzet dem Herrn; Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele; Vom Leiden Christi; Oster-Dialog; Der Herr ist mein Hirt; Schmücket das Fest mit Maien; Danket dem Herrn. ROSENMÜLLER Dixit Dominus • Jochen Arnold, cond; Gli Scarlattisti • CARUS 83.377 (50:56 Text and Translation)

HAMMERSCHMIDT Machet die Tore weit; Meine Seele Gott erhebt; Meine Seele erhebt den Herrn; Fürchtet euch nicht; Ehre sei Got in der Höhe; Das Wort ward Fleisch; Wo ist der neugeborne König; Das ist je gewißlich war; Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied; Alleluja! Freuet euch, ihr Christen alle. ROSENMÜLLER Magnificat • Jochen Arnold, cond; Gli Scarlattisti • CARUS 83.375 (47:20 Text and Translation)

Back in 34:4 I indulged in a walk down Memory Lane in reviewing a disc of the music of Andreas Hammerschmidt (1611/12–1675) to explain my especial fondness for that composer’s music. I will spare readers a repetition of that, and the information I included on the composer in that review, and only lament again that for a composer of his fame and prolificacy during his lifetime—he published 14 collections of music that encompassed over 400 works—he is woefully under-represented on CD. Thankfully, the Carus label is doing something to rectify that situation with these two releases by the same performers. Both feature identically structured programs, in which several short sacred concertos by Hammerschmidt are supplemented by a single larger-scale sacred work by his now better-known contemporary Johann Rosenmüller (1619–84). The vocal ensemble Gli Scarlattisti consists of six sopranos, three altos, four tenors, and three basses. They are supported as needed by an ad hoc instrumental ensemble of varying constitution, comprised overall of two violins, three viols da gamba, a violone or bass viol da gamba, a lute, an organ, two cornetts, and three trombones. Everyone sings and plays superbly, realizing perfectly both the distinctive grandeur of Hammerschmidt’s solemn Germanic rhetorical style and the lighter, more Italianate one of Rosenmüller. As usual, Carus provides excellent recorded sound, complete German-English texts, and informative booklet notes. The timings on these two discs are admittedly on the short side—all the Hammerschmidt’s works by themselves could have been fit onto a single CD—but since they increase the number of CDs in circulation devoted to that composer by 50 percent, from four to six, I’m going to mute my usual criticism on that score. Enthusiastically recommended.

FANFARE: James A. Altena

Classical Music

Even though Charles Gounod is now mostly remembered as a composer of the opera Faust, his main creative focus was church music. His sacred oeuvre eclipses that of his French contemporaries, but cannot conceal Gounod’s affinity for opera. On the occasion of the composer’s 200th birthday, Carus is re-releasing an outstanding recording by the chamber choir I Vocalisti under the direction of Hans-Joachim Lustig of the oratorio "Die letzten Worte des Erlosers am Kreuze" and other sacred compositions: works to which the composer was particularly inspired by his stay in Rome and the Gregorian chant which is very frequently heard there. Depending on the project, the chamber choir I Vocalisti consists of 20 to 60 vocally and musically trained singers from Northern Germany, who come together to perform challenging sacred and secular choral music at a professional level. Since its founding in 1991, the ensemble has performed in numerous concert series and has received prizes at national and international choral competitions, including first prize at the 6th German Choir Competition in 2002 and 1st prizes at the international choral contests in Tolosa, Spain in 2004 and in Cork, Ireland in 2009.

One of the most eagerly anticipated aspects of the rebuilding and rededication of Dresden's famed Frauenkirche was the construction of a new organ to replace the historic 1736 Silbermann instrument destroyed along with the church in the 1945 firebombing of the city. (Bach famously played that original organ on a visit to Dresden the same year the instrument was completed.) Although many details of the original organ were matched in its rebuilding (by Daniel Kern)--including the Silbermann's "classical disposition"--this new instrument also has an "additional manual in the French romantic style." And in its modern guise, it's truly an imposing concert instrument, as this recital by Frauenkirche organist Samuel Kummer decidedly proves.

The repertoire for this first recording (made in September, 2005, one month before the church's official rededication) naturally was chosen to show the organ's wide range of colors and voices, as well as to show some of its stylistic versatility. If you're an organ music collector you won't buy this for the definitiveness of any of the performances--there are some glitches (including a sketchy "cello" entrance in the opening Allegro of the Vivaldi, occasional unevenness of tempo, and some registrations that don't allow clear definition of inner parts in the thickest Bach textures)--but you'll want to hear this gorgeous organ put through its paces, especially in the grand and mighty Pièce d'orgue BWV 572 and the equally provocative Duruflé Suite Op. 5, with its stupendous concluding Toccata. In these two works, Kummer is brilliant, his technique, timing, and registration instincts dead-on.

Bach's setting of Vivaldi's concerto Op. 3 No. 11 is a rarely-heard gem, but here it sounds unsettled when it should be rock-steady, and the important inner lines of the Fugue aren't voiced distinctly enough. I wonder how much time the producers and performer had to adjust to acoustics and instrument in this new space. Anyway, the chorale variations heard in BWV 768 are attractively, colorfully configured with Kummer's choices of stops ideally setting off the theme in its various contexts. The disc's other selection is Bach's lively Trio BWV 655, which Kummer plays with delightful simplicity, calling on the beauty of the organ's flutes as the primary voice.

The sound is full and vibrant--a bit too much so in some places!--and the package is enhanced by booklet notes in English (not always the case with Carus), complete information about the organ's disposition and stop selection for each piece, and beautiful color pictures of the organ, cathedral, and city of Dresden.

--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

The Calmus Ensemble is on a musical journey of discovery: With “Folk Songs,” the Leipzig vocal quintet invites you on a journey around the world. From Ireland and England to Scandinavia, Russia, Taiwan and all the way to Ecuador! And all this with only five singers? Yes, indeed! Folk songs from five continents can be heard on the album, the spectrum ranging from traditional, simple settings to highly virtuosic new arrangements made especially for Calmus. This recording is part of the prize-winning "LIEDERPROJEKT". A perfect blend of sound, precision, lightness and wit. These are the hallmarks of Calmus, now one of the most successful vocal groups in Germany. The ensemble has forged a refined sound which few groups achieve. The wide range of sound colors, the joy in performing that musicians convey on the concert platform, and their varied and imaginative programs are praised by the press time and time again. These five Leipzig musicians have won a whole string of international prizes and competitions, including the ECHO Klassik and Supersonic Award, and the reach of their activities is constantly expanding, taking them throughout Europe as well as to North and South America. In 2010 the quintet made its debut at Carnegie Hall, New York.

Florilegium Portense – this is the title of a collection of sacred motets from Italy, Germany and the Franco-Flemish region, first printed in Leipzig in 1618. It contains motets by the most famous composers of the time in Europe, such as Hieronymus and Michael Praetorius, Hans Leo Hassler, Orlando di Lasso, and Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli. Its dissemination was so successful that almost all church choirs, school choirs and court orchestras between Eisenach and Breslau came into contact with it. The motets were compiled by Sethus Calvisius, the cantor of Schulpforte and later Thomaskantor of Leipzig, and edited by Erhard Bodenschatz, his successor in Schulpforte. Exactly 400 years after going to press, the Vocal Concert Dresden and the Cappella Sagittariana under the direction of Peter Kopp honor this important cultural monument with a recording of selected motets and hymns, including several premiere recordings.

Ever since the International Choir Festival C.H.O.I.R. was founded, there has been the tradition of regularly commissioning compositions for the festival choir. These works always display an interrelationship between traditional and modern, between classical musical language and popular elements, between the regional and the universal, between the cultivation of culture and a view into the future. With this concept, the Landesakademie allies itself with the centuries-old tradition of the Benedictine monastery in Ochsenhausen, whose influence as a center of knowledge and the preservation of culture reached far beyond its region. Thus the last decades have seen the creation of outstanding works, some of which have become part of the repertoire of numerous choirs all over Europe. The composer Bobbi Fischer was tasked with building a bridge between Europe and South America. This led to the creation of his Missa latina for bandoneon, solo soprano, choir and jazz ensemble, which is already distinctive thanks to its specific scoring. Musically, his Magnificat is at home in the Carribbean-Cuban region; its instrumentation referring to yet another South American musical tradition.

The ensemble Hamburger Ratsmusik, under the direction of Simone Eckert has recorded five songs from Luther for Advent and Christmas. These pieces have been arranged by various composers from the Reformation era and they captivate through their diversity in different instrumental and vocal combinations. Vom Himmel hoch is one of the most famous songs by Martin Luther and is still sung today at Christmas time.

The CD cover is actually a little misleading. As well as the Leonardo portrait often said to be of a musician the only composer listed is Johannes Eccard, whereas four of the tracks are devoted to his pupil Johannes Stobaeus. Stobaeus, a generation older, was a new name for me. He was responsible for the publication of sixty-one hymns and ‘Festal songs’ some thirty and more years after his master’s death. His style is often more ornate, more reminiscent of Gabrieli especially in its instrumental ornamentation. This however is never over-intrusive. Listen to Gott einen hellen Wunderstern written, somewhat improbably, for the ‘Thanksgiving of the Augsburg Confession’ in 1630.

I must also confess, because I am, what my son calls, a little sad, to have been wondering about Eccard. He was a pupil of Lassus by the way. I wondered whether any of his music would materialise during this, the quincentenary of his death - actually in January 2011. So at last some recognition has been made and in delightful and thoughtful performances.

The publication referred to above was Preussische Festlieder. It appeared in both 1642 and 1661 and comprises 61 hymns in five, six, seven or eight parts. These are arranged in accordance with the church year. Peter Kapp’s choice reflects just that, beginning on the first Sunday in Advent ( Lift up your heads you mighty gates) through Christmas, Epiphany, via Easter to Pentecost. Also included is Eccard's’ ‘ Gott einen hellen Windertern’ (God long ago lit a bright miraculous star) written for a thanksgiving on the centenary of the Augsburg Confession in 1630. Consequently these pieces encompass a wide range of moods. These range from the joyous Easter hymn ( Zu dieser osterlichen) contrasting with the sombre, and lengthy, rather archaic and motet-like Mein Sund mich kränkt written for Holy week and Freu dich, du wertr Christenhalt a warm and yet thoughtful hymn for the Annunciation.

For UK singers, the four strophes of Maria, das Jungfräulein will be best known as it is often wheeled out at Evensong around 2 February for the Feast of the Purification Candle Mass. It is known as ‘When to the temple Mary went’. It is typical of his style of restraint, dignity and concision.

Another attractive aspect of the performances can be heard in the Ascension hymn Freut euch, ihr Christen alle. There are just two verses but in between there is an instrumental episode with discreet ornamentation in the cornetto part. In addition the first verse is sung by unison female voices and the second by unison male. As one works through the CD there is therefore a wide variety in colour, tempo and instrumentation. Der Zacharias ganz verstummt, a hymn for the feast of St. John the Baptist, has four verses with no change of instrumentation or dynamic. This which might grate on you after a while but one must remember that this is primarily liturgical music. The next track begins with wind only before the voices emerge.

The essay in the booklet has been translated in a somewhat odd fashion but the beautiful texts are attractively done. It seems that they were written by Paul Gerhard but adapted by Carl von Winterfled in the 1840s. It was he who rediscovered Eccard, calling him the ‘Protestant Palestrina’.

Don’t get thinking that these hymns are boringly foursquare and consistently homophonic. True, the melodies are simple and folk-like. True, last lines are often repeated like the choruses of a Victorian Moody & Sankey hymn but some of these are quite memorable. An example is the catchy declamation of ‘Das sei ja, das sei jah’ in the Whitsuntide hymn ‘ Der helig geist vom Himmel hoch’. So these pieces are ‘music’ and although suitable for congregational use can be enjoyed in these more sophisticated versions.

The instrumental contributions are is not just for choral support. They vary a little from piece to piece and often function as instrumental verses. Sometimes instruments will accompany a single voice on the lower or surrounding parts.

Although I am struggling to think of Eccard as a Palestrina-clone these pieces do have a spirituality of their own which can be quite captivating in small doses. This is not a reflection on the performers. They evidently understand the style, have ideal intonation and clear diction with immaculate instrumental support.

For its period and for its aims the music works well.


-- Gary Higginson, MusicWeb International

In it's touching tenderness, the "Weihnachtsgeschichte" op. 10 by Hugo Distler is one of the most beautiful temptations for any a cappella ensemble at Advent or Christmas time. With it's scoring for four-part choir, from which all the soloists can easily be drawn, it is proof that the Christmas message can be conveyed with the same simple, sublime brilliance as with the old masters. The seven variations on "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen" which run through the work are much more than merely a framework for the story - they are also great music within themselves.

This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.

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C. P. E. BACH Magnificat. Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes • Fritz Näf, cond; Monika Mauch (sop); Matthias Rexroth (ct); Hans Jörg Mammel (ten); Gotthold Schwarz (bs); Basler Madrigalisten; L’arpa festante • CARUS 83.412 (Hybrid multichannel SACD: 62:37 Text and Translation)

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was the Thomaskantor’s second son. He spent 27 years at the Prussian royal court and 20 years in Hamburg, surpassing his father’s reputation for some time after his death. This Magnificat was an early choral work of 1749, performed even in Leipzig. Both works are billed as world premiere recordings, or, in the case of the Magnificat, “the first recording of the original version.” But the latter differs from the work I have loved since Felix Prohaska’s recording was reissued on a single LP (it was originally three sides for a 49-minute performance) only in omitting trumpets and timpani, for the only other difference is the original “Et misericordia,” which most previous recordings have used. Seymour Solomon himself wrote the liner notes for Prohaska, asserting that the printed score had been compared with the original manuscript, and the trumpets and drums (“inexplicably omitted from later editions,” he says) were restored for the recording. He may have meant the manuscript in Hamburg, described by colleague William Youngren (15:2). Only Helmut Rilling has recorded the later, shorter “Et misericordia”; every other recording known to me has the original, longer setting of this verse.

The work became a favorite of mine, and I bought the next four LPs as soon as I could find them, but they all followed period-performance style, such as it was in those days, and I missed the grandeur that I had come to love. Emanuel’s work, as Solomon described it, was a combination of Italianate vocal style, Haydnesque orchestration, and his father’s Baroque choral writing. Prohaska’s large forces with modern orchestra, broad tempos (the longest recording known to me), and marvelous soloists brought out the majesty of the work better than later versions. I can still hear it with pleasure. Geraint Jones’s version was made next, but somehow remained on the shelf while several other recordings that he made in 1957 and 1958 for His Master’s Voice were issued; after Jones’s auto accident in 1960 limited his activities, it was apparently forgotten until Malcolm Walker discovered the tape and obtained its release in 1965 (I only found a copy many years later, a stereo LP pressed with an Odeon label for export). It was also Helen Watts’s first version, preceding her work for Ledger and Rilling.

This glorious work begins with a festive chorus on the first verse, a soprano solo on “Quia respexit,” and a brilliant tenor solo on “Quia fecit mihi.” After the choral “Et misericordia” comes a heroic bass solo on “Fecit potentiam,” then two rousing duets for contralto and tenor followed by a meltingly lovely contralto solo on “Suscepit Israel.” “Gloria Patri” is set to the music of the opening movement, followed by a gigantic double fugue on “Sicut erat,” an extended movement of great power. I hear the longer “Et misericordia” as a central peak between the opening and closing choral movements, while colleague Youngren likes the shorter setting because it makes the series of solo arias more prominent. The present performance is impressive, even if I miss the trumpets and timpani that punctuate the opening and closing choruses and the bass aria. Enhanced by modern sound, the soloists embellish their melodies stylishly. Three of the singers remind me favorably of Prohaska’s soloists, but Matthias Rexroth, the first countertenor I have heard in this work, has a heavier voice than Prohaska’s contralto, Hilde Rössl-Majdan, though he melds in well with the others in this team. So even though I think the composer knew what he was doing when he added the trumpets and timpani, I can recommend this as a gorgeous performance and recording of a masterpiece. Here are the versions so far issued:

• Felix Prohaska, 1952, Bach Guild 516-17; 552
• Geraint Jones, rec. May 1957 and May 1958, H.M.V. CLP 1828; CSD 1612; SME 91477
• Adolf Detel, rec. November 1965, Archiv 73267; SAPM 198367
• Kurt Thomas, rec. 1966, Victrola VICS 1368; Harmonia Mundi 30821; 1C 065-99624; CD: BMG-DHM. 05472-77411
• Philip Ledger, rec. March 1976, Argo ZRG 853; CD: 421148 (15:2).
• Helmut Rilling, rec. September 1976 and January–April 1977, Hänssler 91511; CD: 98970 (15:2). Revised “Et misericordia.”
• Hartmut Haenchen, rec. December 1988, CD: Berlin BC 1011-2 (18:1). Not heard.
• J. Reilly Lewis, rec. 1998, CD: Newport 60155. Not heard.
• Michael Schneider, rec. December 2000, CD: Capriccio 67003 (26:3). Not heard.
• Fritz Näf, rec. January 2008, CD: Carus 83412. Omits trumpets and timpani.

The other work on this disc was first heard in the early Hamburg years, 1773 or 1774, but it was written in 1772. In 1775 the first movement was revised and a new final chorale added, but the revisions are not heard here. The original purpose of the composition was the installation of a new pastor, only the last two original movements referring to Christmas at all. In the form performed annually after 1775, the added movements made it more of a Christmas cantata. The ensemble includes the three trumpets and timpani that could have been used in the other work, but the work strikes me more as well constructed than inspired. The performance does it full justice, but the Magnificat is worth the price of the disc.

FANFARE: J. F. Weber