Leif Segerstam’s cycle of Beethoven choral works continues with some of his earliest compositions. In 1790, the nineteen-year-old Beethoven was a court musician in Bonn. He was commissioned to write two cantatas. Basically, it was “the king is dead, long live the king.” The first cantata was to mourn the death of the recently deceased […]
choral music
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Leif Segerstam begins Beethoven choral series
Ludwig van Beethoven’s oratorio was premiered at a marathon concert in 1803. And I mean marathon. The all-Beethoven program (conducted by the composer) included his first and second symphonies, plus his third piano concerto. Some of the shorter pieces scheduled were dropped due to time constraints (!). “Christ on the Mount of Olives” originally received […]
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Homilius and Agricola cantatas move beyond Bach
The Easter cantatas in this recording come from two contemporaries of Johann Sebastian Bach. And both take different approaches to the subject. Gottfried August Homilius was thirty years younger than Bach. Gottfried August Homilius was thirty years younger than Bach. Contemporary accounts describe him as one of the best sacred music composers of his day. […]
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Johann Theile – St. Matthew Passion anticipates Bach
Johann Theile was best known as an opera composer. But he did study with Heinrich Schutz and wrote a significant amount of sacred choral works. His St. Matthew Passion dates from 1673 – predating Bach’s by about fifty years. The work features two solo voices; the Evangelist and Jesus. Although it uses Matthew’s narrative of […]
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Christoph Graupner Passion cantata series comes to a glorious close
This release completes CPO’s traversal of Christoph Graupner 1741 Passion cantatas. For the 18th Century Lutheran church, Passion cantatas were performed throughout the Sundays in Lent, not just during Holy Week. The concluding installment is the Cantata for Laetare Sunday (the fourth Sunday in Lent). The libretti focus on the wickedness of those who judged […]
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The serene Sonetti Spirituali of Pietro Vinci
Pietro Vinci published his Quattordeci Sonetti Spirituali in 1580. These works are prime examples of the Italian Mannerist School. The text is by Vittoria Colonna, one of the most popular poets of the day. The poems of the Sonetti Spirituali are religious, but Vinci gives them secular settings. His florid polyphony compellingly illuminates the text. Every note (and concordance […]
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Majestic recording of Johann Pachelbel Magnificat
To the general public, Johann Pachelbel is a one-hit-wonder. To his contemporaries in Germany, he was much more — and recordings such as this help us understand why. During his lifetime, Pachelbel was renowned as an organist and a composer. He was especially adept at counterpoint, something he passed on to his students. One of […]
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Missa 1724 — bold interpretation of Jan Dismas Zelenka
The “Missa 1724” is actually an assemblage of various sacred works by Jan Dismas Zelenka. But to be fair, they all come from the same general period of Zelenka’s career, and they do make a convincing whole. The Kyrie, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei, ZWV 26 recycles some previous material (some only a year older than […]
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Great performances of Ignacio Jerusalem marred by recording
The Chicago Arts Orchestra and Chorus specialize in exploring the music of New Spain. Their first release was “Al Combate: Rediscovered Galant Music from Eighteen-Century Mexico.” It featured works by Ignacio Jerusalem and Santiago Billoni. This release delves deeper into Jerusalem’s repertoire, presenting a mass, a symphony, and some shorter choral works. Ignacio Jerusalem emigrated […]