The Leipzig Collegium Musicum, Vol. 1 - Music before Bach
PENTATONE
CD
$19.99Jul 31, 2026
The Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum, under the direction of Reinhard Goebel and outstanding soloists such as Max Volbers on recorder and Clemens Röger on horn, present the first instalment in the series The Leipzig Collegium Musicum, Vol. 1: Music before Bach, offering a vivid exploration of a formative musical world. The term Collegium Musicum refers to an assembly of musicians who gathered regularly, under direction, to study and perform vocal and instrumental works, an idea that flourished in many cities, yet found particular resonance in Leipzig. By the early 18th century, this landscape of competing ensembles and personalities stood on the threshold of transformation, as musical life gradually evolved towards the later institutional structures that would shape the city's enduring legacy. In practice, however, these societies existed within a complex and often unsettled environment, where overlapping groups, shifting roles, and competing interests made the musical scene difficult to define and reconstruct with certainty. This programme offers a glimpse into that dynamic and, at times, elusive world, where music was shaped as much by collaboration and exchange as by individual voices. The works presented reflect a period before Bach's arrival in Leipzig, when compositional language was still evolving and stylistic boundaries were fluid. Drawing on influences from across Europe while asserting their own character, these pieces reveal a rich interplay of invention, contrast, and expressive immediacy. Composers such as Georg Philipp Telemann, Johann Friedrich Fasch, and Georg Melchior Hoffmann were part of this environment, where musical ideas were shared, adapted, and developed through collective practice.
Georg Philipp Telemann belongs to the auroral phases of the Enlightenment, a musician with an inexhaustible and perhaps unparalleled creative vein in terms of the breadth of his catalogue. Johann Michael Bohm was skilled in the violin as well as the flute and oboe; Johann Friedrich Fasch was a very industrious music craftsman, although reluctant to publish his own work, which appeared posthumously. The embarrassment that seizes some commentators is due primarily to little familiarity with the music included in this album, informed by a sound "individualism" and a systematic spirit, yes, but still little inclined to the rigid regularities that perhaps only the late-Romantic school imposed on the view of music.
This volume of modern premieres of works by Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688 - 1758) was recorded in concert, the programme opening the 2023 International Fasch Festival, in Zerbst, the city in which he was Capellmeister to the princely court. Tempesta di Mare has had an ongoing love affair with the orchestral music of Fasch that goes back to 2007, when the band received images of manuscript part books for several as-yet unpublished orchestral works held at the Dresden Library. They have been investigating, discovering, and performing works by Fasch every season since then, and recording those that have not already been recorded - this album is the fourth volume of such discoveries. One of the things that fascinate Tempesta di Mare about the music of Fasch, which goes beyond the craftsmanship, expressivity, inventiveness, and wit, is his very distinctive voice. Plenty of other central European composers of his time were content if their music could sound like that of Vivaldi, Corelli, or Telemann. Those influences remain clearly present in his music, but Fasch does not sound like any of them - nor, for that matter, like Bach, Handel, or any other of his contemporaries familiar to us.
Delve into the captivating compositions of Johann Friedrich Fasch with Accentus Music's latest CD release, "Fasch: Sonatas," interpreted by Austrian baroque ensemble Barucco. Fasch, renowned as a composer even before assuming the prestigious role of court Kapellmeister in Anhalt-Zerbst in 1722, left an indelible mark on the musical landscape of the Baroque era.
This meticulously curated collection offers a glimpse into Fasch's diverse repertoire, showcasing his skillful fusion of form and melody. It presents the intricate structures as well as the melodic richness of his sonatas, each piece encapsulating Fasch's innovative approach to composition.
Listeners will be enthralled by the intricate interplay of instruments, as exemplified in works like the Sonata in B-flat, where recorder, oboe, violin, and continuo engage in a spirited dialogue. Meanwhile, the Sonata in F presents a delightful blend of two oboes and two bassoons, reflecting Fasch's mastery of chamber music instrumentation.
Performed with precision and passion by Barucco, this recording offers a faithful interpretation of Johann Friedrich Fasch's compositions, allowing audiences to experience the music as it was intended. "Fasch: Sonatas" is a testament to the composer's enduring legacy and a valuable addition to any classical music aficionado's collection.
A recording of Österreichischer Rundfunk (Radio Österreich 1).
This is an album that portrays an imaginary weird audition that took place in Leipzig in 1723. After Johann Kuhnau's death the Thomaskirche was in search of a new Kantor. For different reasons Telemann, Fasch and Graupner declined and the fourth choice happened to be Johann Sebastian Bach. Thomas Triesschijn and his ensemble imagine a dialogue among the four giants through their own compositions for recorder and orchestra. This recording is not only a showcase for a great virtuoso, but a fully enjoyable album with plenty of wonderful music. Triesschijn and Counterpoint previous (and first) release was awarded the Gramophone Editor's Choice: "This debut album is, hands down, some of the best recorded Telemann out there, and I am ready to go fist to fist with anyone who disagrees."
Ensemble Marsyas' recording of Johann Fasch's finest chamber music demonstrates why the man and his music were so appreciated in his own lifetime. Founding member Peter Whelan and "the queen of the recorder" (BBC Radio 3) Pamela Thorby are the soloists challenged with meeting the virtuoso demands of this engaging music. The four-movement Quartet in B flat major for recorder, oboe, violin and continuo is among one of Fasch's most popular works; full of catchy tunes and contrapuntal ingenuity in equal measure, virtuosity is demanded from all concerned. The Concerto in F major for recorder and strings was only recently attributed to Fasch. It is full of characteristic Fasch-isms and of the same dramatic quasi-recitative style as his Bassoon Concerto. Upon release Fasch: Quartets and Concertos was named a Chamber Choice by BBC Music Magazine and awarded the maximum five stars for both Performance and Recording.
Fasch: Ich danke dem Herrn, Mass in G, Cantata & Suite in A / Max, Rheinische Kantorei, Das Kleine Konzert
CPO
CD
$18.99Nov 02, 2018
As the court music director in Zerbst, Johann Friedrich Fasch had to deal directly with current religious trends and was obliged to occupy himself with Pietism. After all, from the beginning of his tenure there his duties had included the composition of the church music for every court religious service and for all the church feast days. Fasch had a special mission in mind when he penned his cantatas: he was very much interested in having hislisteners not remain indifferent to the texts that were sung. And so he employed all sorts of compositional tricks to capture their attention and to emphasize words of special importance to him. This procedure is impressively revealed already at the beginning of the cantata »Ich danke dem Herrn vom ganzen Herzen.« After a short instrumental introduction the opening Biblical text is presented not as usual by the choir but initially by the solo soprano. Then in the Missa in G major almost all the facets of Fasch’s musical talent are shown; from arias with obbligato solo instruments to grandly dimensioned chorale fugues placing the greatest demands both on the singers and the instrumentalists, it was composed in its entirety for the entertainment and edification of his noble employer and to the glory of God. One of Fasch’s overture suites of extraordinary quality rounds off this album. In his autobiography he acknowledged : "On this occasion I cannot avoid publicly acknowledging that I then learned mostly everything from the beautiful work of my most revered and beloved friend, Mr. Music Director Telemann, by constantly taking the same as a model for me, especially in the overtures".
The Baroque Recorder Concerto / Schneider, Cappella Academica Frankfurt, La Stagione Frankfurt, Camerata Koln
CPO
CD
$64.99Mar 23, 2018
CPO’s unique anthology of Baroque flute concertos contains not only the recording label’s sensational collections featuring virtuoso recorder concertos of the German, Italian, and English Baroque but also the complete solo recorder concertos of Georg Philipp Telemann, Alessandro Scarlatti, and Antonio Vivaldi. Telemann’s two so very different Concertos in F major and C major, for example, number among the most outstanding Baroque compositions of all for the recorder in a concerto role. Michael Schneider currently has no real rivals- worldwide- on his instrument. In his hands the recorder loses what so often limits its expressive capacity and gains a voice articulating all the musical facets. The complete eighteenth-century repertoire of recorder concertos, or most of it, is now available in performances by Schneider. Listening pleasure and astonishment are guaranteed for all!
This album is the debut release from the Irish Baroque Orchestra. The tracks chosen take the listener on a journey through the German courts of the 18th century. Concertos by Fasch, Telemann, Heinichen, Vivaldi, and Graupner have been chosen for this programme. “…what really makes the IBO so worth hearing is the unified artistry and joyous, focused energy of its music-making under Huggett.” (The Sunday Times)
Tempesta di Mare, Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra, performs baroque music on baroque instruments with what the Philadelphia City Paper describes as ‘zest and virtuosity that transcends style and instrumentation’. Under its directors, Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone, and concertmaster, Emlyn Ngai, the ensemble performs a repertoire ranging from staged opera with full orchestra to chamber music. The group performs without a conductor, as was the practice when this music was new. Tempesta di Mare has been recording exclusively for Chandos since 2004, to worldwide popular and critical acclaim. - Chandos
The third and concluding volume in our series of orchestral works by Bach contemporary Johann Friedrich Fasch includes more premiere recordings of orchestral works and his lute and recorder concertos. - Tempesta di Mare, Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra
