Karneval Tiere

For every musician connected with church music, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio is a highlight of the liturgical year, and it was at a performance of this very work that we first met. Playing together in the continuo unit requires a seventh sense for one’s fellow musicians and a heightened awareness of the musical breath of the soloists. In short, it requires non-verbal communication. The feeling of being able to rely on each other, and the perfect rapport in our musical understanding, kindled our desire to record a completely novel kind of music album.

The "grand zoological fantasy" called Le Carnaval des Animaux by Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) is only the best known of several devilishly witty pieces this composer indulged himself with from time to time. Most of them can be found on this irresistible album, including the perky and absolutely unique Trumpet Septet. Ross Pople and his London Festival Orchestra are the ideal performers for music of this freshness and vigor.

In the past few years, the Deutsche Stiftung Denkmalschutz has repeatedly raised public awareness with CD releases at Christmas time, with top-quality musical discs for grants for important cultural buildings and their preservation. A CD was released in 2016, which in the blurb promotes such funds for the restoration of the Friedenskirche in Potsdam. The listening enjoyment of this CD ranges from Handel's water music to an excerpt from Bach's "The Art of the Fugue", ie the baroque musical work, through romanticism, and R. Schumann represents the "reverie" from the children's scenes to Camille Saint-Saen's "The Swan" "from the carnival of animals. A wonderful compilation that invites you to listen and donate.