Tobias Zeutschner “Weihnachtshistorie” worth rediscovery
Two things I’m always on the lookout for. One, composers I’ve not heard of before. And two, classical Christmas music I’ve not heard before. So of COURSE I was excited to audition Weihnachtshistorie by Tobias Zeutschner. And I wasn’t disappointed.
Zeutschner (1621-1675) was a Polish composer and poet, active mainly in Silesia. He was a contempoary of Heinrich Schutz, and a generation before J. S. Bach. Zeutschner was a Protestant. He served as organist at St. Maria Magdalena, the second largest church in Breslau.
He took Martin Luther’s dictums of simplicity and clarity to heart. The sacred works on this release attest to that. The solo voices sing simple, clear melodies with minimal ornamentation. The choruses are homophonic. And yet there’s a beauty in this simplicity.
The Weser-Renaissance Bremen brings out that beauty in their performances. They recorded at the Stiftskirche Bassum. This small Lutheran chapel provides the right amount of ambiance for this music. The quick decay adds a natural warmth that enhances the sound.
Period brass and string instruments double the choir, giving them added resonance. Zeutschner valued devotion over art. He strove to write sacred music one could sing in the church and at home.
Cordes and Weser-Renaissance Breman show it’s not necessarily an either/or choice. They perform artfully, and in doing so bring out the devout nature of the music.
This collection includes several Advent and Christmas season compositions by Zetschner. It’s supplemented by some anonymous works found in the St. Maria Magdalena library. The manuscripts suggest they were written (or transcribed) during Zeutschner’s tenure. It’s very possible they would have been incorporated into services given by Zeutchner.
This is beautiful music. And a wonderful addition to Baroque repertoire options for the season. I’m not always lucky when I take a chance on unknown music and composers. But this time I was. And you can be, too.
Tobias Zeutschner: Weihnachtshistorie
Weser-Renaissance; Manfred Cordes, conductor
CPO
