La Grande Chapelle Recasens Schola Antiqua Asensio - Officium Defunctorum - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The keyboard sonatas of C.P.E. Bach (1714-1788) bear hallmarks of a composer who lived through a significant moment in musical history he composed his works during the transition from the Baroque to the Classical period. These works are musical landmarks that epitomize the style and values of an era. The Preussische and Werttembergische Sonatas, collected together on this new 3-disc set, exemplify Bach's celebrated style of composition, and reveal the impact of the period's stylistic influences.

The enormous popularity enjoyed by the works of Jose de Nebra, the leading Spanish composer in the mid-18th century, is a cause for surprise. His manuscripts are scattered across archives throughout Spain and the Americas. Jose de Nebra rose to be one of the organists of the Spanish Royal Chapel in 1724 and it's vicemaestro from 1751. Following the 1750 prohibition of performing villancicos in the royal institution, Nebra composed a complete series of Christmas Day responsories for the Matins service. From among the different versions, La Grande Chapelle offers the full version from 1752, which is unquestionably one of the indispensable works of Spanish Baroque music. The performance of this collection, following the study and transcription of the musical sources still in existence, represents a premiere of great musicological and artistic interest.

This four-disc set brings together the complete Offertories of Palestrina, the supreme master of Renaissance sacred polyphony. Each disc is devoted to works for different seasons of the liturgical year and a range of solemn occasions. Conceived for the adornment of the liturgy at the foremost church of Rome, these compositions have retained their place at the heart of the Christian musical tradition, admired across the centuries for their devotional purpose and their incomparable artistic perfection.In this distinguished recording, Schola Cantorum Gedanensis-one of Poland's most esteemed vocal ensembles, with nearly half a century of artistic achievement-turns to this sublime repertoire with characteristic insight and poise. Laureate of six Fryderyk Awards and two Golden Orpheus distinctions, the choir, under the direction of Jan Lukaszewski, offers an interpretation of luminous clarity, tonal refinement, and contemplative depth, revealing anew the spiritual radiance of these timeless works.