The present SACD introduces a rediscovery which enlarges the repertoire of sacred music: The 'Muri Mass' mass, here released for the first time, was discovered...

The present SACD introduces a rediscovery which enlarges the repertoire of sacred music: The 'Muri Mass' mass, here released for the first time, was discovered in the library of the abbey at Einsiedeln. It was catalogued there as the anonymous 'Muri Mass' but was identified in 2005 as a work by Johann Valentin Rathgeber. The present recording restores the music to its place of origin. Recorded in the abbey church of Muri, the outstanding acoustics of the church with its splendid baroque architecture, the original sound of the composition and the interpretation with baroque instruments meet and form a unique whole. With the 'Muri Mass' the Kloster Muri has regained a representative document of its rich musical tradition. To complement the existing corpus of instruments from the baroque era, a number of replica historical instruments were reconstructed these include the trumpet marine, a monochord ingeniously designed so as to sound like a trumpet, and the chordophone drum whose sound is produced by striking a single string. Solo concertos taken from Johann Valentin Rathgeber's 'Chelys sonora' and recorded here as well present other historical instruments (baroque violin, baroque trumpet and baroque clarinet). The trumpet marine is also represented in a solo concerto by Telonius. The Cappella Murensis and the ensemble arcimboldo ensure exceptional artistic quality. With this recording they present themselves to a wide audience for the first time. These professional ensembles, arisen from the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and directed by Johannes Strobl and Thilo Hirsch, are an integral part of the Swiss baroque scene. The recording documents their pure, fresh choral sound, their technical precision, their expression which is shapeable and energetic and their boundless zest for music-making. The Cappella Murensis and the ensemble Arcimboldo: A real discovery!