Isfried Kayser (1712-1771) spent almost his entire life in the Premonstratensian Abbey marchtal, where he soon gained a reputation as an especially versatile musician. Numerous...

Isfried Kayser (1712-1771) spent almost his entire life in the Premonstratensian Abbey marchtal, where he soon gained a reputation as an especially versatile musician. Numerous spiritual organizations commissioned church music or sacred music dramas. As a play of words on his surname (Kaiser - Emperor), his confreres soon called him the ''Caesar of Music.'' His Magnificat and the Missa VI are presented here in a recording together with several smaller works; they document Kayser's extraordinary accomplishments. These majestically sacred works are interpreted by the Orpheus Vokalensemble and Ars Antiqua Austria under the direction of Jurgen Essl.