Libera me : Responsorium

Asperges me : Antiphon

Asperges me : Antiphon

Asperges me : Antiphon

How dear to me the hour : G major

Messe in e, Josef Gabriel Rheinberger : Requiem in Es op. 84 Musica Sacra VIII

In his well-known “Mass in E minor” Anton Bruckner combined the vocal style of the Palestrina period with the musical resources of his own time. Along with its austere sound picture and its powerful dynamic contrasts, this Mass differs from Bruckner's other orchestral masses above all by reason of its uncommon accompaniment of wind instruments alone. In addition to Bruckner's demanding funeral motet "Libera me", Josef Gabriel Rheinberger's "Requiem in E flat" op. 84 is here recorded for the first time. In a masterful a cappella structure Rheinberger created, with straightforward resources, wide areas of tension and extremely effective musical highlights. The KammerChorSaarbrücken again demonstrates its supreme quality, convincing especially in the absolutely homogeneously sung a cappella passages and by its fine dynamic shading.

Gonzalo Grau: Aqua : Oratorium

Gonzalo Grau's oratorio Aqua, commissioned by the International Bachakademie Stuttgart, is concerned with the important global theme of "water." It is precisely in central Europe that this precious commodity is frequently and thoughtlessly wasted, while in other parts of the world it is so scarce. Moreover, water shows two sides, which Grau makes audible in his oratorio: It gives, but it can also take life - in some places rain brings luck, while in others it brings destruction. Worldwide water is a theme, it means different things in different cultures - this, for example, is reflected in the music of Indian and African cultures. Gonzalo Grau’s compositional style is markedby a variety of influences: "For me a Gregorian chant is just as beautiful as a Cuban Santer a song. Indian ornamentation and baroque articulation can both appear in the same piece," says the composer. Special sound effects make Aqua a multi-cultural oratorio in which man and the environment is the central theme.

Lukaspassion & Die Sieben Worte : Complete recordings, Vol 6

A seventeenth century Passion “Radio Drama,” the sixth installment of the recording of Schütz’s complete works by the Dresdner Kammerchor and Hans-Christoph Rademann presents three powerful works for Passion. The St. Luke Passion SWV 480 unfolds a panorama inviting us to experience an intense, inward-looking pictorial reflection on Jesus’s Passion. The words of Luke the Evangelist are sung without accompaniment, the musical means skillfully reduced to a minimum. This narrative is interrupted by the choruses, creating dynamic emotional scenarios, clamoring, pleading, querying and raging: in this way, Schütz creates a form of Passion, a “radio drama” with a deeply movingintensification of events. The well-known “Sieben Worte Jesu am Kreuz” [The Seven Last Words of Jesus on the Cross] SWV 478 is the first contribution of the viola da gamba player Hille Perl and her ensemble "The Sirius Viols" to the complete Schütz recording. The sophisticated structure of the work, the intense sensuality of the individual sections and the beauty of the musical message make the “Seven Last Words” a masterpiece. The third work on this CD, “Erbarm dich mein, o Herre Gott” [Have Mercy on me, O Lord God] SWV 447 for solo soprano accompanied by a consort of viols a composition for the Good Friday service represents a charming and appropriate complement to the “Seven Last Words”.