Nele Gramß - Psalms 110 & 151 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The composer Andreas Hofer (1628/29-1684) is probably hardly known even by music connoisseurs! Yet he was Cathedral and Court Kapellmeister in Salzburg at a time when the prince-archbishopric was considered one of the most important centers of Western music. Hofer was in charge of all the music of the prince-archbishopric, both in the great Baroque cathedral and at court, and he brought the most accomplished musicians to Salzburg among them none other than Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber as Vice-Kapellmeister and Georg Muffat as cathedral organist! This program presents seven psalm concertos by Hofer for one or two solo voices, strings and basso continuo. They are composed in the style of Monteverdi's seconda prattica, virtuosic and bursting with melodic ideas. In contrast, the collection of Psalmi brevi and his Missa Valete, for five voices and strings, show Hofer's great skill in vocal polyphony. Performers are the vocal ensemble Capella Spirensis of the Dommusik Speyer and the orchestra L'arpa festante conducted by the Domkapellmeister Markus Melchiori.

Following our first album with sacred concertos by Johann Rosenmüller, we are now releasing another album with concertos for larger ensembles by this genial composer and musician who quite soon attracted attention with his perfect musical blend and tireless creative drive as well as with his persistent striving for innovation. In his works Rosenmüller succeeded in blending the new Italian colorfulness and tonal sensitivity with the gravity of Central German music into a unique, sublime style. The more than one hundred works by Rosenmüller that have come down to us, most of them dimensioned on the large scale, reveal a composer who gave everything he had to bring to perfection the mixing of Central German and Italian stylistics begun in Leipzig and ultimately to lend the sacred concerto a personal signature. InchThe music speaks for itself, for it is filled with enthralling moments. Such a discovery would not be possible without such an impressive interpretation as that of the Ensemble 1684. The soloists shine in their outstanding textual articulation and flawless vocal technique; the instrumentalists always provide for optimally balanced dialogues.Inch Album Tracks 1. Magnificat Sacred Concerto) 2. Der Name Des Herren (Sacred Concerto) 3. Domine Probasti Me (Psalm Concerto) 4. Ego Te Laudo (Sacred Concerto) 5. Sinfonia Prima (Suite) 6. Confitebor Tibi Domine (Psalm Concerto) 7. Welt Ade, Ich Bin Dein Müde (Chorale) 8. Nunc Dimittis Servum Tuum (Sacret Concerto) 9. Bleibe Bei Uns, Herr Jesu Christ (Dialogus)

?Francesco Durante's psalm settings stand out for their astoundingly modern contrapuntal tensions and expressive nuance. Coupled with Giovanni Salvatore's uniquely inventive organ works, these world premiere recordings revive sacred works by a composer considered in his day to be 'the greatest master of harmony in Italy'. Album Tracks 1. Toccata in a Minor 2. Dixit Dominus a 4 3. Confitebor Tibi Domine a 4 4. Beatus Vir a 4 5. Canzona Francese Seconda, Del Nono Tuono Naturale 6. Laudate Pueri Dominum a 4 7. Credidi a 4 8. Laetatus Sum a 4 9. Capriccio Del Primo Tono 10. In Convertendo a 4 11. Nisi Dominus a 4 12. Lauda Jerusalem Dominum a 4 13. Canzone Francese Terza, Del Primo Tuono Finto 14. Magnificat a 4