The narrative of Christ’s Passion as retold by Barthold Brockes (a dominant figure in early 18th-century German literature) is of such dramatic power that it was set to music by 13 different composers (including Handel, Keiser, and Mattheson)! Telemann’s version, premiered on 2 April 1716, became so famous that J. S. Bach, no immature youngster at the time, copied it out in full 23 years later . . . René Jacobs has striven to restore this quite extraordinary score to life in all its rich complexity.
Bach revised his Johannes-Passion regularly: he returned to it over a period of twenty-six years, from 1724 to his death. It is the version hallowed by tradition, established by the Kantor a year before his death, that is presented on these CDs. But the 1725 version, equally outstanding musically, has also been recorded complete and can be downloaded as a bonus in high-resolution sound. Comparison of the two versions reveals the underlying meaning of this matchless Passion.
From Schütz to Bräutigam by way of Schumann, Reger, Mauersberger, Poulenc and Werner – this recording by the Chamber Choir of the Freiburg University of Music under the direction of Morten Schuldt-Jensen takes the listener through the entire history of the motet. All of these compositions have one thing in common: their uniquely personal expressive force. The Drei Paulusmotetten by Fritz Werner, a contemporary of Poulenc, appear for the first time on HIGHRESAUDIO. These brilliant motets reflect the period and events of the time of their creation. The works by Werner and Mauersberger, for instance, were composed during the horrors of the Second World War.
Coming off his latest singles Stay Down (feat. Yung Bleu) and Don't Love Me, Ne-Yo returns with his highly anticipated eighth studio album, Self Explanatory, which also includes features from Jeremih, Trippie Redd and more. Infused with his classic R&B sound, Ne-Yo says that the record will "pull on some heartstrings, give you a reason to dance, [and] give you some music to clean the house on Sunday." Out now via Motown Records.