Elend

The ninth volume of this complete recording of Bach’s cantatas continues the series of cantatas from the first Leipzig cycle. Cantata 173a is the sole exception: a secular cantata composed by Bach at Cöthen, it was reworked as a church cantata (BWV 173) for the first Leipzig cycle and is included in Volume 7 (CD 3). BWV 66 is also based on an original work from Bach’s Cöthen period.

Johann Heinrich Rolle belongs to the generation of J. S. Bach’s elder sons. Pipped at the post by C. P. E. Bach as Telemann’s successor in Hamburg, Rolle centred his musical life round Berlin and his native Magdeburg. Recitatives, arias, duets and choruses make up this two-part music drama which is both lyrical and on occasion vividly pictorial in its imagery. A fine performance.

Henning Christiansen - Peter der Große, Op. 174 & Gudbrandsdal, Op. 178 (2020) {Institut for Dansk Lydarkæologi}
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© 2020 Institut for Dansk Lydarkæologi
Contemporary Classical / Experimental / Avant-Garde / Electronic / Musique Concrète / Abstract

Two of Henning Christiansen’s tape works from the 1980’s, 'Peter der Große op. 174' (1986) and 'Gudbrandsdal op. 178' (1987), are now released for the first time by the Institute for Danish Sound Archaeology. Originally composed for different contexts – 'Peter der Große' as the score for a German radio feature and 'Gudbrandsdal' for a performance in collaboration with Joseph Beuys and later Bjørn Nørgaard – the two works stand out in Christansen’s extensive and many-faceted oeuvre by employing almost entirely electronic sounds.

This fabulous recording featuring Matthew Best and the Corydon Singers was first released in 1989 at a time when they were recording the standard repertoire for small choirs for Hyperion, and this disc of Brahms' motets and shorter sacred choral pieces was, and is, one of their finest. From the smooth and lovely Ave Maria for women's choir and organ through their hard and harsh "Warum is das Licht gegeben?" to their craggy yet consoling "Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein," Best and his choir deliver technically impeccable and deeply moving performances. The Corydon Singers tend toward a big, lush, and slightly fruity sound, as is common with English choirs. But one cannot fault their diction, articulation, pronunciation or their tone, blend, and balance. Best's interpretations are soulful but not sentimental and expressive but not excessive. Recorded in full-bodied digital sound, these performances will likely please fans of Brahms' sacred choral music.

The songs and devotional works included in this recital by the women's ensemble of Ars Choralis Coeln, a group dedicated to liturgical chant and Medieval song, are found in a collection of songs for worship compiled by Anna von Köln (ca. 1480-1530). Anna, who was probably a member of a non-cloistered Beguine community, collected songs in a variety of languages, including Rhinelandic, Middle Dutch, and Latin, some of which included the text and music, and some of which had the text only, requiring research to discover the music in other contemporary sources.