Berlin 36

Gottfried August Homilius, now considered the greatest cantor of Dresden's Kreuzchor, was, for a while a student of Johann Sebastian Bach. A composer of music for the church, and a great organist, he was described, in 1790, as 'one of the greatest and worthiest organists alive.' While Homilius's name is found on only one score for this passion, stylistic criteria make it almost certain that he wrote this music. This St. Matthew Passion closely resembles Bach's passions - it contains choral movements, recitatives and arias with orchestral accompaniment, and tells the story of the Passion in the same way as was done in churches all over Germany in the 18th century. However, Homilius uses many more short sections with recitative (a total of 89 pieces altogether - most less than one minute long), but his arias are generally much longer than those in Bach's passions and cantatas.

Johann Sebastian Bach and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin go back a long way together! This recording, made with the welcome participation of Isabelle Faust and Antoine Tamestit, follows the complete violin concertos (2019), which left a lasting impression. Returning regularly to the inexhaustible source of the Brandenburgs ever since a memorable first recording in the late 1990s, the Berlin musicians have achieved a sovereign mastery of what is not a single work, but six, which, under their fingers, are successive episodes of a piece of musical theatre in love with dance, transparent sound and freedom. An exhilarating experience!

Although the originality of Georgi Catoire's musical language paved the way for Russian modernism, his output still followed the artistic ideals of Russia and not the new culture of the Soviet Republic. His highly expressive work is characterised by polyphonic density, heightened expressiveness, variety of colour, and a wide rhythmic and harmonic mix. Catoire's music was rarely performed in his day, his name being largely unknown. He left behind 36 works, including symphonic pieces, a piano concerto, chamber music, songs and piano cycles. This music was written in the fin de siècle style, which combined brilliance and nobility with fragility.

Verdi was on a war footing with the Catholic Church from a very early age. It is true that he was brought up to believe in God, as was usual in Italy at that time, and it is no less true that his first music teacher, Ferdinando Provesi, was the organist at the Church of San Bartolomeo in Busseto, but when the then sixteen-year-old composer applied for the post of church musician in the town in 1829, his application was rejected – not because his musical abilities were in any way deficient but because he was regarded as a protégé of Antonio Barezzi, a local businessman with a reputation for his anti-clerical views. He fared little better when he submitted his first sacred works – a Laudate pueri, a Qui tollis and two settings of the Tantum ergo – in the early 1830s, when the Church authorities complained that the music sounded “theatrical, lascivious, bellicose and indecorous” . In short, it was hardly calculated to foster a sense of piety and devotion.

The Lemmy Kilmister/Phil Campbell/Mikkey Dee Motörhead line-up spent decades cracking sound barriers, bending ears and decimating lawns worldwide, consistently delivering the Motörgospel to hundreds of thousands of fans. Louder Than Noise… Live in Berlin is a thunderous performance from the band’s 2012 Kings of The Road tour, spanning fifteen classics across all four decades. This line-up was Motörhead’s longest serving by a considerable distance, and throughout Louder Than Noise… Live in Berlin their powerful synergy boots its way through the speakers with the raucous charm and dirty, dangerous, sweaty gusto that was the Kilmister/Campbell/Dee trademark. From the unapologetically furious ‘I Know How to Die’ to a deliciously rare and raucous ‘Over the Top’, Louder Than Noise… Live in Berlin is all about the thick, raw and liberating power of Motörhead live. Further highlights include a favorably feral ‘Rock It’, a rudely raunchy ‘You Better Run’ and a classic one-two haymaker of ‘Ace of Spades’ and ‘Overkill’. Whether a collector completist or newbie to Motörhead’s music, Louder Than Noise… Live in Berlin is a welcome reminder of what real rock ‘n’ roll is truly about.