Vivid Strings Violins

Bojan Čičić and the Illyria Consort’s latest Delphian recording revels in the great variety of musical styles and traditions that grew up around Christmas and its related feasts in Catholic Europe in the seventeenth century – a time when the introduction of ‘rustic’ effects into instrumental music changed the sound of Christmas forever.

At the heart of the Köthener Bachfesttage is the ensemble founded expressly for the festival, the Köthener BachCollektiv. This is an exceptional company of eminent musicians spanning three generations that meets in Köthen every other year and has embarked on a musical journey of discovery with works newly restored to the repertoire. At the 2022 Bachfesttage, and on this recording, new reconstructions of Bach concertos and some long forgotten works by his Köthen colleagues set the tone. The consequence, under the direction of violinists Midori Seiler and Mayumi Hirasaki, is a strikingly vivid musical portrait of the Köthen Hofkapelle, which recreates the excellent working conditions and musical opportunities available to Johann Sebastian Bach in Köthen.

Although he was known as the Swedish Mozart, Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792) was actually born in central Germany. Persuaded by a fellow law student to apply for a position in the Swedish court orchestra, he remained in the employ of King Gustav III until his death. Known primarily for his symphonies, he also wrote at least 8 String quartets, including the 4 on this disc.

In the lush mosaic of Russian 19th-century music life, Franz Xaver Gebel (1787-1843) was a fascinating, if marginal tile. Born in Germany, Gebel emigrated to Moscow in the 1820s and there taught a generation of students, including Nicolai Rubinstein, while composing on the side. His chief role in Moscow was organizing chamber music concerts with the intention of elevating music taste in Russia. He impressed some pretty big names in the process, such as Borodin and Glinka. Gebel wrote eight quintets and the two selected for this recording are the best examples of his art currently on disc; if you're curious about him, this is the quintessential gateway.