Vocal Concert Dresden - Christmas at San Marco - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Running through this album is a path from despair and sin through revelation, repentance and belief, to life, triumph and finally love. The stations on the way are eight five-part fantasias for viols by Michael East (1580-1648), unusual in that each of them has a Latin title - from Desperavi to Amavi. In his time, East was one of England's most published composers with seven books of his compositions in print, all of them containing music for viols and voices. The fantasias are here performed by the five members of Chelys Consort of Viols, who together with the singers in Fieri Consort have selected vocal items by East to complement each of the instrumental pieces. Regretting the lack of modern repertoire for this combination the performers have also commissioned a new piece by the composer Jill Jarman. Setting a verse by Sir Henry Wotton, a contemporary of East, Now are my thoughts at peace sums up the journey of the fantasias from Desperavi to Amavi, 400 years after they were written.

A secret society, a clandestine community, mythical rituals indark temples. The image of the Freemasons is surrounded bythe mystic mists of the unknown. When it comes to theirmusic, one should by no means think of Hans Zimmer's epochmaking soundtracks to the Hollywood movies based on Dan Brown's novels! Vocal Concert Dresden has turned to the authentic music of Freemasonry. The exclusivity and selfimposed isolation of the movement fed the legend of theInchRoyal ArtInch that grew up about the fascinating mysteries ofthe Freemasons. What really took place in the inner confinesof their temple remained hidden from view. The development of their mythical, symbolic use of formulae, objects and rituals went hand in hand with a cultivation of specific music. This album offers a whole programme of music that covers both overt and subliminal examples of musical pointers to the lodge brethren's symbols and values threefold repetition for example will symbolise the three ranks of St John Masonry and the three ideals (wisdom, strength and beauty); pounding note repeats represent the masons' hammer blows, while the alternation between soloist and tutti represents the teacher-apprentice relationship between the individual ranks.Schiller's InchOde to JoyInch won favour in more than 100 differentsettings and gained immortal status as the culmination ofLudwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The widespreadview that it was commissioned as an original poem for themasons is simply untrue. Long before Beethoven tookpossession of the poem, a number of composers in Leipzig and Dresden had set the words to music. Four of those firstsettings laid the foundations for it's popularity and they arefeatured here on this album. Accompanied by a comprehensive booklet, this by Vocal Concert Dresden under the direction of Peter Kopp aims to demonstrate the importance of music, not only to thefreemaso

Having won acclaim for his recent recordings of French repertoire, Robin Ticciati now turns to the music of Anton Bruckner. Ticciati is well suited to conducting Bruckner with an approach that is both 'expansive and revelatory' (The Guardian). Having already performed this work with the Bergen Philharmonic and Vienna Symphony Orchestras, Ticciati returned to Berlin to continue his recording series with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester. Bruckner broke new ground with his Sixth Symphony; it's meandering harmonies, intricate rhythms and imaginative instrumentation are coupled with contrasting moods and a theme that moves satisfyingly from dark to light. Occasionally overshadowed by the more familiar Fifth and Seventh symphonies, the Sixth has many extraordinary moments, including the astonishing Scherzo. Notably this was the first work that the self-doubting composer did not seek to revise. Ticciati describes this symphony as 'wild, daring and risky', a perfect pairing for this engaging and charismatic conductor.