Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

The W�ldner organ of the Halle Cathedral is one of the most important sound monuments of Central German organ building from around 1850. Completed in 1851 in the Halle workshop of Friedrich Wilhelm W�ldner and his son August Ferdinand W�ldner, then leading organ builder in the region at that time, represents the instrument as Early Romanesque document, on the one hand, the classic tradition of organ building, as it has remained alive in Saxon and Thuringia since the era of Silbermann, Hildebrandt and Trosts well into the 19th century. On the other hand, the original sound concept of the instrument made it possible to hear those "new tones" at an early stage, which were built in the middle of the century in the famous monumental organs by masters such as Ladegast (in Merseburg Cathedral), Schulze (in Halberstadt Cathedral) and Reubke (in Magdeburg Cathedral) in completely different, namely cathedral-like dimensions. Although significantly smaller than the Merseburg cathedral organ (the only surviving one of the three mentioned), the Halle instrument - as the largest and most multifaceted organ of the W�ldner workshop - is nevertheless committed to a monumental sound idea and is therefore one of the most important witnesses to the art of organ building of this era. In the 20th century, the cathedral organ suffered several extremely disadvantageous sonic falsifications in the neo-baroque style. A restoration, which is committed to the goal of regaining the sound image of 1851, has therefore long been one of the most important concerns of organ monument preservation in Saxony-Anhalt and was placed in the hands of the Wegscheider organ workshop. The work took place from 2017 to 2018. The present album is the first recording after the restoration has been completed and impressively shows the possibilities of the instrument. It plays Michael Beauty, who as Merseburg cathedral organist has extensive experience with this type of organ.

If you have been a choir or choir director at a Marien church for over 30 years, it is difficult for you as an evangelical Christian to evade the subject of Maria. Although the Protestants are assumed to have a rather cool relationship with the mother of Jesus, in such a church one literally stumbles across texts, representations and references to a piety from Mary - a piety that Mary does not necessarily make an advocate for God, but she is a role model for faith Especially when, after a strenuous day of rehearsals in a 12th century cathedral in medieval melodies of young voices, the old words from the New Testament sound: "My soul exalts the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior", one thinks As a Lutheran - MAGNIFICAT! Magnificat settings therefore form the framework for the new, fourth album of the youth choir of the cathedral in Wurzen. Of course, one cannot deal with Maria musically without singing about her son Jesus, to tell the whole story, so to speak. So does the youth choir on this release (Hairston - "Amen"). There is also the example speech of the wandering preacher such as "I am a right vine" (Schütz), which encourages clinging to God, the question of right prayer, which Jesus answers with the "Our Father" (Wermann), the longing for God Closeness and presence in "Kyrie and Gloria" by Rheinberger or in Mendelssohn's "I lift my eyes to the mountains". The Kingdom of God plays a central role in Jesus' sermon, which can already be felt here in this world and endures transience. Jesus himself lived in this hope of inseparable communion with God and the spirituals also sing about it in the images of their time.

Often universal organs have the problem that they are not particularly well suited to either baroque or symphonic music. However, Daniel Kern's organ at Frauenkirche Dresden is a shining example of a very successful bridge between the different organ traditions. When choosing an instrument for this recording of Anton�n Dvor�k's Symphony No. 9 "From the New World" in Pascal Kaufmann's transcription for four-handed organ, the standard was to have good drawing abilities of the characteristic 8' and 4' basic stops. Thanks to the diversity of the pipe scales, on the one hand in the style of Gottfried and Andreas Silbermann, and on the other hand reminiscent of Cavaill�-Coll (France, 19th Century), there is a sufficiently large selection on the Kern organ. The very dynamic swell pedal with French reed stops and the setterboards with modern standards allow the players to keep the symphony lively with a total of over 400 different registrations. Two more works round off the release at hand: the Humoreske op. 101/7 by Anton�n Dvor�k in a transcription for (two-handed) organ by Edwin Lemare and "Der Heilige Franziskus von Paula auf den Wogen schreitend" S175 by Franz Liszt, also as four-handed transcription by Pascal Kaufmann - a work that once again illustrates the multifaceted nature of the Kern organ beautifully. The brothers Markus and Pascal Kaufmann come from Lichtenstein (Saxony). Their training pathways included studying together at the Dresden College of Music "Carl Maria von Weber" and the Hochschule f�r Kirchenmusik in Dresden. Pascal Kaufmann worked as assistant for Frauenkirche organist Samuel Kummer and is currently church musician in Augustusburg (Saxony) while Markus Kaufmann is working as Cathedral organist in Quedlinburg. The recordings for the album at hand were supported by Frauenkirche Foundation.

German-French organist, cantor, and church musician Irenee Peyrot studied at the Conservatoire de Lyon and Saint-Etienne. After graduation, he began a period of intensive concert activity in Germany and abroad, where the major focus of his repertoire were the works of Reger, particularly Reger's transcriptions of Bach's piano works. He has served as organist at the Johannes Church in Ahrensburg and at the Marktkirche in Halle. In addition to his work as a cantor, Peyrot has been teaching organ since 2006 at the Evangelische Hochschule fur Kirchenmusik in Halle. In January 2019, he was appointed church music director. The present release features his interpretations of organ works by Max Reger.

In 1722 it was decided in Störmthal to renew and expand the old, dilapidated village church in a contemporary style. The church patron, chamberlain Statz Hilmar von Fullen, was able to employ Zacharias Hildebrandt in the summer of 1722 to build the organ. Hildebrandt completed the Störmthal organ with 14 stops on a manual and pedal within about a year. In autumn 1723, Johann Sebastian Bach, the new Thomaskantor from nearby Leipzig, took off the organ. As a sign of special appreciation of Hildebrandt's work, he did not leave it at a mere organ test, but rather performed his cantata "Most Wished for Joy" (BWV 194) on November 2, 1723 "at public services and inauguration of said organ" After a restoration in 2008, the organ resumes the state that Johann Sebastian Bach was able to hear in 1723. Bach highly praised this organ. Therefore, in the recording of a concert from the Leipzig Bach Festival on June 16, 2018, his works form the focus of the album and organ program, framed by his predecessor Buxtehude and successors of the late 18th century. The program on this release encircles the key “possibilities and limits”. Almost all melodious keys are represented, and almost all pieces use the sharpness to modulate. Ten bonus tracks also analyze and clarify certain peculiarities of the mood type.

J�rg Herchet's Weihnachtsoratorium (Christmas Oratorio) was written on a commission by the Stuttgart International Bach Academy. Kantate 1 was premiered on 07/12/2013 in the Stuttgart Liederhalle under the direction of Hans-Christoph Rade-mann; kantate 2 was first performed at the same place on 4/6/2015 with the same conductor. The entire work was performed as a whole for the first time in the Christuskirche in Dresden on 18/12/2016 by courtesy of the Stuttgart International Bach Academy; this included the premiere of kantate 3. The double album at hand, based on a recording by Deutschlandfunk, is a document of the performance. The theme of the Weihnachtsoratorium by J�rg Herchet is the birth of Jesus Christ in all of it's many diverse dimensions. Not only is the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke set to music, but also the meaning of the salvation of all people that Christians attribute to this event. The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed (381 A.D.) already outlines the concept of salvation. Christ was thus born of God before all time; he has been part of history from the very beginning. Meister Eckhart, theologian and philosopher living in the late middle ages, had another concept: when God created the world, he did so out of love. He shared this love with humanity as his likeness; love is part of the human soul, but it also rises up "to God" and so is an integral part of God. He calls this experience the birth of God in our souls, in our hearts. These three notions - the story of the birth in the manger, the birth in our hearts and the everlasting birth - these are the themes of the three cantatas of J�rg Herchet's Weihnachtsoratorium.

Volume 6 of the Gunter Raphael Edition, released as a double album, includes Raphael's entire chamber music oeuvre featuring the flute. The ten pieces, of varying character, can be divided into three creative periods. Most of them belong to the "transitional period" and the key development of his style since the 1930s. In his early and late stylistic periods, the composer only rarely used the flute as a chamber music instrument. Three of the works are recorded here for the very first time, among them the highly original Triptychon Maria for alto, flute, violin, viola and cello written by Raphael in 1943 for the birth of his second daughter Maria Christine using medieval lyrics.