Die Spaziergaengerin Von Sans Souci

Between the years 1715 and 1730, a series of exceptionally favorable circumstances occurred at the Court of Dresden, most notably the presence of remarkably skilled players, especially in the ranks of oboes and bassoons. The focus of the present album, consisting almost entirely of world première recordings, on period instruments, is on Johann David Heinichen. His compositional attention seems to concentrate on the oboe, producing a series of pages which show a treatment of the shapes and affects being surely the result of great talent, skill and artistic intelligence, as clearly demonstated beyond any doubt in the compositions collected in this recording.

Early in 1709 Antonio Caldara became maestro di cappella to the Marchese Francesco Maria Ruspoli in Rome. If the appointment brought new stability to his personal life, it also inspired him to remarkable creative effort. The two cantatas recorded here afford only a brief glimpse into a veritable musical treasure chest, the legacy of the seven years he held sway over an array of entertainments given by one of Rome's most lavish patrons of the arts.

Montmartre au petit jour. Chaque matin, l'auteur, attablé au Sans-Souci, voit passer une femme dans la rue. Elsa Wiener, il l'apprendra bientôt, a fui l'Allemagne. Son mari Michel y est resté, enfermé dans un camp. Elle chante dans les boîtes de nuit. Elle vit seule avec un enfant juif, Max, que les nazis ont rendu infirme. On suit avec fascination la lente chute d'Elsa, sa déchéance, au nom d'un amour qui n'existe peut-être pas. …