German Baroque Cantatas

For many years, Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706) was beset by the same malady as Tomaso Albinoni, i.e., that of being recognized primarily for a single work. In Albinoni’s case it was the Adagio (composed by Remo Giazotto, using only a bass line from his countryman); with Pachelbel it was the all-pervading Canon in D which has been recorded so many times that one loses count and in an almost infinite variety of versions, ranging from the composer’s original for three violins and continuo to tuba quartet! However, some have chosen to venture further into the musical legacy left by Pachelbel and therefore uncovered a number of compositions whose quality—while variable and occasionally mundane—is overshadowed by their importance in the development of specific genre, including the sacred cantata.

John Eliot Gardiner is one of the leading conductors in the active authentic performances movement in England, performing Baroque music but also extending his range into later repertoire. He first conducted at the age of 15, and after finishing school he studied at King's College, Cambridge. While still an undergraduate, he conducted the combined Oxford and Cambridge Singers on a 1964 tour of the Middle East and founded the Monteverdi Choir, which has consistently performed on his recordings since.

Of the many second- and third-tier composers of the early and middle German Baroque, Johann Philipp Förtsch (1652–1732) ranks among the more obscure, though in his case it is due not to the quality of his music but to the fact that for him music became an Read more Kapellmeister of Schleswig in1680 by one of the opera’s cofounders, Duke Christian Albrecht of Holstein-Gottorf. The Duke was embroiled in political conflicts with neighboring Denmark, and was forced to flee to Hamburg in 1683, at which point Förtsch resumed his medical practice, obtaining a licentiate from the University of Kiel and setting up a practice in Husum.

Before the release of this disc called Ah! Mio cor!, charismatic mezzo soprano Magdalena Kozená had already made her mark as a Handel singer with her recordings of the composer's Italian cantatas and opera Julius Caesar, but this triumphant 2007 collection of arias affirms her mastery of the German-English composer's music. Featuring selections from the composer's operas and oratorios, this disc is more of a smorgasbord than a balanced meal with one highly expressive and supremely virtuosic aria following another and the only cohesion supplied by the performer.

Christoph Graupner (1683-1760), a German contemporary of J.S. Bach, was renowned in his day but utterly obscure now. But this Darmstadt court composer was immensely prolific: if you are impressed by Bach’s catalogue of about 200 surviving church cantatas, take a look at Graupner’s output of some 2,000 works in virtually every form. A significant part of his orchestral output consists of concertos and suites with diverse, sometimes very curious instruments in the solo ensembles. In this recording the Finnish Baroque Orchestra plays his suites for the flûte d’amour, a flute pitched a third lower than the normal transverse flute, and the viola d’amore, an instrument roughly the same size and shape as a viola but with resonating free strings. (WQXR)

The outstanding musical significance of Johann Rosenmüller, who was said to be able to merge Italian sensuality and German “gravitas” in his compositions in the most harmonious way, was already undisputed among his contemporaries. He studied in Leipzig, and quite soon the town council realized that he was a musician of an immense talent. Rosenmüller therefore received a position at the famous Leipzig Thomasschule, and was considered as the future successor of the ill Thomaskantor, Tobias Michael.

Johann Philipp Krieger - Trio Sonatas: XII Sonate à due Violini (1688)
Classical, Baroque | 1 CD | EAC | FLAC, CUE, LOG | Scans | 429 MB | Rapidshare
Recorded: 2-5 May 2002, Schüttbau, Rügheim | Released: 2007 | Label: cpo 777 294 | TT: 67:27
Parnassi Musici (Margaret MacDuffie, Matthias Fischer - violin | Matthias Müller - viola da gamba | Hubert Hoffmann - archlute | Helene Lerch - organ, harpsichord)

Virtuoso 17th-century sonatas - Johann Philipp Krieger's Trio Sonatas draw upon the influence of the Northern German, Italian and English consort music traditions to create music of irressistible appeal and flair. Parnassi Musici give spirited and vibrant interpretations of this repertoire, which lovers of Baroque ensemble music will adore. (www.savd.com.au)