Christophorus

Pedro de Escobar (c. 1465-c.1535) was a composer of the same renaissance generation as Josquin, Isaac, Mouton and De La Rue. He was born in Porto, Portugal but was of Castilian ancestry; his work was in great demand in his time and he spent part of his working life in Spain, much of this in the service of the Catholic Queen Isabella I. His best-known works today are a Requiem Mass (recorded twice so far), a Magnificat setting and a handful of motets, but this present CD brings us the first recording of a complete ordinary Mass setting, simply titled ‘Missa 4v.’

Ensemble für frühe Musik Augsburg - Neidhart von Reuental
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 276 MB | Full Artwork: 98 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Christophorus # CHR 77108 | Country/Year: Germany 1990
Genre: Folk, Classical | Style: Medieval

Neidhart von Reuental was one of the most famous German minnesingers. He was probably active in Bavaria and then is known to have been a singer at the court of Friedrich II in Vienna. As a minnesinger he was most active from 1210 to at least 1236. Neidhart is very well known for being rather sarcastic and comical. More melodies survive by him than from any other minnesinger…

It was Christoph Graupner who was selected as the Thomaskantor in Leipzig after Johannes Kuhnau, and it was only the fact that Graupners patron in Darmstadt did not let him go that Johann Sebastian Bach got the job! In fact Graupner was the more famous and more modern composer during those years, yet history almost forgot him for more than two centuries even having composed five times as many cantatas as Bach. An important and highly praised step in the re-discovery or Graupners music was already presented by the soprano Miriam Feuersinger and her ECHO Klassik awarded debut release on Christophorus together with the Capricornus Consort Basel. She is now joined by countertenor Franz Vitzthum for a new album of duo cantatas. This is music of great depth, with the two voices blending so well that sometimes they seem just one.

An invitation to experience music played in the court of Versailles – for Louis XIV and his successors. An imaginary story gives it its framework: A young provincial beauty comes to the court, is presented to the King and becomes his favourite, falls into disgrace through the intrigues of her rivals, but finally retrieves her honour.

This two-CD package brings together several orchestral works and two choral pieces by nineteenth century Germanic composer Josef Rheinberger (1839-1901). Born in Liechtenstein but resident most of his life in Germany, Rheinberger wrote only two symphonies, and is known today more for his chamber music and religious works. The first CD comprises Wallenstein, described by the composer as a symphonic tone painting in four movements.

The voice of countertenor Franz Vitzthum resounds with lightness and clarity: its almost ‘celestial’ quality appears completely free of all ballast. How appropriate therefore is this programme for Christophorus, in which the yearning for eternal life, when the shackles of mortal existence have been thrown off, was a central theme of the German Baroque period.