Die Messe in h-Moll von Johann Sebastian Bach ist eine der zentralen geistlichen Vokalkompositionen der Musikgeschichte. Hans-Christoph Rademann widmet nun seine erste CD als Leiter der Internationalen Bachakademie Stuttgart diesem herausragenden Werk und setzt zusammen mit der Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart und dem Freiburger Barockorchester sowie renommierten Solisten auf dem Gebiet der historisch informierten Aufführungspraxis in künstlerischer Hinsicht Maßstäbe.
The Mass in B Minor, hailed in 1818 as the “greatest musical composition of all times and all cultures” by its first publisher, Hans-Georg Nägeli of Zurich, is today revered as one of the greatest works in the history of classical music. Not only has the composition substantially shaped the contemporary relevance of Johann Sebastian Bach, but it also underpins his standing as a pre-eminent artist of universal appeal.
Like many renditions of Bach's monumental B Minor Mass, this one puts forward a musical argument: in this case, for the use of a vocal ensemble made up of ten soloists rather than a choir. Minkowski's approach may be historically aggressive, but the sound is unstintingly lovely and the pared-down arrangements shed an interesting and unusual light on this most familiar of the baroque masterworks. Highly recommended to most classical collections and all period-instrument collections.
Like music lovers the world over, John Nelson believes Johann Sebastian Bach’s Mass in B Minor is a pinnacle of Western music. For years, he has cherished the dream of performing this masterwork in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris with the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris whose renown has grown constantly since he began conducting with them eight years ago. In addition to John Nelson and his Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, the Mass in B minor brings together the Maîtrise de Notre-Dame choir conducted by Nicole Corti as well as internationally recognized soloists Ruth Ziesak (soprano), Joyce DiDonato (mezzo), Daniel Taylor (alto), Paul Agnew (tenor) and Dietrich Henschel (baritone).
"Einer der besten Countertenöre unserer Tage" (Fono Forum) ist zweifellos Valer Sabadus. "Was der Countertenor Valer Sabadus bis in schwindelnde Höhen an Natürlichkeit und Koloratur leistet, ist einfach überwältigend", urteilte der Spiegel über seine letzten Aufnahmen. Auf seinem neuen Album präsentiert der Countertenor mit dem Kammerorchester Basel unter der Leitung von Julia Schröder zeitlose Arien aus Kantaten von Johann Sebastian Bach, aber auch selten zu hörende Arien aus Opernraritäten von Georg Philipp Telemann.
During the final years of his life, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) created the monumental body of music that can be considered his “Testament”, comprising the Musical Offering, the Art of Fugue and the B minor Mass. This latter work is a perfect synthesis of all his skill and flair in the art of composition (and essentially in that of counterpoint), as well as his gift for invention and his extraordinary sense of form, structure and number.