Bittet, so wird euch gegeben : Op. 45,3

The conductor Frieder Bernius regards the motets of Hans Fährmann as an “indispensable and extremely welcome addition to the late Romantic repertoire”. The composer’s output is little known nowadays. Born in 1860, he was considered the “Richard Strauss of the organ” during his lifetime. With their demanding harmonies, Fährmann’s choral motets place high demands on choirs and – like Reger’s works – stretch tonality to its extremes. And not least, their sonorous expressivity is thanks to their chromatic richness. Frieder Bernius has recorded the Motets opp. 34, 45, and 65 with the SWR Vokalensemble for the first time on CD (Carus 83.499).

Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied : Op. 45,2

The conductor Frieder Bernius regards the motets of Hans Fährmann as an “indispensable and extremely welcome addition to the late Romantic repertoire”. The composer’s output is little known nowadays. Born in 1860, he was considered the “Richard Strauss of the organ” during his lifetime. With their demanding harmonies, Fährmann’s choral motets place high demands on choirs and – like Reger’s works – stretch tonality to its extremes. And not least, their sonorous expressivity is thanks to their chromatic richness. Frieder Bernius has recorded the Motets opp. 34, 45, and 65 with the SWR Vokalensemble for the first time on CD (Carus 83.499).

Kommet her zu mir alle : Op. 45,7

The conductor Frieder Bernius regards the motets of Hans Fährmann as an “indispensable and extremely welcome addition to the late Romantic repertoire”. The composer’s output is little known nowadays. Born in 1860, he was considered the “Richard Strauss of the organ” during his lifetime. With their demanding harmonies, Fährmann’s choral motets place high demands on choirs and – like Reger’s works – stretch tonality to its extremes. And not least, their sonorous expressivity is thanks to their chromatic richness. Frieder Bernius has recorded the Motets opp. 34, 45, and 65 with the SWR Vokalensemble for the first time on CD (Carus 83.499).

Siehe, spricht der Herr : Op. 45,5

The conductor Frieder Bernius regards the motets of Hans Fährmann as an “indispensable and extremely welcome addition to the late Romantic repertoire”. The composer’s output is little known nowadays. Born in 1860, he was considered the “Richard Strauss of the organ” during his lifetime. With their demanding harmonies, Fährmann’s choral motets place high demands on choirs and – like Reger’s works – stretch tonality to its extremes. And not least, their sonorous expressivity is thanks to their chromatic richness. Frieder Bernius has recorded the Motets opp. 34, 45, and 65 with the SWR Vokalensemble for the first time on CD (Carus 83.499).

Christus ist aufgefahren : Op. 45,4

The conductor Frieder Bernius regards the motets of Hans Fährmann as an “indispensable and extremely welcome addition to the late Romantic repertoire”. The composer’s output is little known nowadays. Born in 1860, he was considered the “Richard Strauss of the organ” during his lifetime. With their demanding harmonies, Fährmann’s choral motets place high demands on choirs and – like Reger’s works – stretch tonality to its extremes. And not least, their sonorous expressivity is thanks to their chromatic richness. Frieder Bernius has recorded the Motets opp. 34, 45, and 65 with the SWR Vokalensemble for the first time on CD (Carus 83.499).

Ei, du frommer und getreuer Knecht : Op. 45,6

The conductor Frieder Bernius regards the motets of Hans Fährmann as an “indispensable and extremely welcome addition to the late Romantic repertoire”. The composer’s output is little known nowadays. Born in 1860, he was considered the “Richard Strauss of the organ” during his lifetime. With their demanding harmonies, Fährmann’s choral motets place high demands on choirs and – like Reger’s works – stretch tonality to its extremes. And not least, their sonorous expressivity is thanks to their chromatic richness. Frieder Bernius has recorded the Motets opp. 34, 45, and 65 with the SWR Vokalensemble for the first time on CD (Carus 83.499).

Schubert - Beethoven - Hartmann [Bernius]

Schubert's "Ouvertüre in C minor" D 8 and Beethoven's "String Quartet in F Major" op. 135 are borderline cases of their genres. They were composed for chamber music ensembles, but through their clear orchestral traits they soon found their way into the repertoire in the orchestral versions recorded here. With its use of quotations from composers whose works were forbidden after 1933, the "Concerto funebre" demonstrates Karl Amadeus Hartmann's resistance against the political situation as it existed in 1939, the year the work was composed. Partially atonal in conception, the Concerto funebre, with its use of varied musical material, grips the listener with immediacy. Not least,the emotionally-tinged interpretation of this Concerto by the Streicherakademie Bozen, conducted by Frieder Bernius, makes a contribution to this character.

Sinfonias + Concerto

This recording of works by Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, the least well-known of the four composer sons of Bach, marks the completion of the FBO’s highly acclaimed series “Bach’s Sons” on the Carus label. Unlike his prominent brothers Carl Philipp and Johann Christian, the “Bueckeburg Bach” never ventured beyond the provinces, serving as a court musician for forty years at the court of the Count of Schaumburg-Lippe. But his music is anything but provincial. It moves impressively between the styles of both brothers, combining the artistic demands of Carl Philipp with the light Italian tone of the younger brother Johann Christian, and so defies easy musical categorization.

Chorbuch Mendelssohn

The three oratorios, the chorale cantatas, the large psalm settings, Lobgesang and other Mendelssohn sacred works with orchestra are famous, last but not least, on account of the variety and beauty of their choral settings. In the 19th century it was already common practice to arrange suitable movements for choir and organ, and to perform them in concert. This new choral collection makes available a wide selection and variety of movements especially suited for sacred services. All of the choral movements are based on biblical texts [most of them from the Psalter], on chorale settings or liturgical texts these offer a wide range of uses during the church yearand within theframework of the liturgy.

Sehet, welch eine Liebe. Motetten [Bernius]

Sensational masterpieces in miniature form: The motets of Homilius can be described as the most important historical contribution to this genre between those of Bach and Mendelssohn. This recording certainly contributes towards placing the long-forgotten works by this composer and once highly-acclaimed Dresdner Kreuzkirche Kantor in the limelight again. “This CD is an absolute must [at least] for ever lover of choir music. … That the music of the CD can, at times, unfold with such a lasting, outright magical effect, lies naturally not solely on the music itself, but also on the masterful interpretation: Frieder Bernius has intentionally refrained from using any instruments inorder to achieve the purest interpretation possible.”

Die Kinder des Monsieur Mathieu : Lieder aus dem Film Les choristes und weitere Lieder für Kinderchor

The sensational success of the film Les choristes [The Chorus] rests, not least, on its moving music. Some of the most beautiful songs from the film are presented here in arrangements for two voices by the Kinderchor der Staatsoper Stuttgart and the Klavierduo Stenzl as well as the Lotus String Quartet, conducted by Johannes Knecht. In addition to the film music works by Johannes Knecht, Vic Nees and Manfred Züghart are performed.

Christmas Carols of the World / Weihnachtslieder : Chorbuch + CD / Choral Score with CD

Christmas is celebrated throughout the world sometimes at the end of December, sometimes at the beginning of January. And everywhere, singing Christmas carols is part of the celebrations. Some carols, such as Adeste fideles or Stille Nacht are sung throughout the world, but many countries have their own particular carols which reflect their own customs and traditions. These Christmas carols from all over the world feature in the latest instalment of the LIEDERPROJEKT which is published in autumn 2015. The new choral anthology Christmas carols of the world will enrich the Christmas repertoire for choirs, with lots of exciting choral arrangements of a selection of 85 internationalChristmas carols. It is edited by Volker Hempfling and contains arrangements by composers from 23 countries in their original languages, including John Rutter, John Høybye, Mark Sirett , Wolfram Buchenberg, Matti Hyökki and Fredo Jung. The settings for mixed choir a cappellaare extremely varied, ranging from easy to difficult. Some have accompaniment for keyboard instrument. A CD with samples from the book sung by the Calmus Ensemble Leipzig and the Athesinus Consort Berlin is included to the director’s score.

Cantiones Sacrae. Complete recordings, Vol. 5

In the complete works of Heinrich Schütz, performed by the Dresdner Kammerchor under the direction of Hans-Christoph Rademann and produced by Carus, the fifth installment presents the Cantiones Sacrae [SWV 53 93]. In 1625 during the Thirty Years' War Schütz published this collection as his opus 4. In the 40 Latin motets he used texts from the prayer book of Andreas Musculus, which is based on psalms and verses from the Song of Songs, as well as texts from the Gospels, devotional texts and various prayers. The fact that today these expressive prayers have not gained the popularity of Schütz's other great collections is due, not least, to the high demands which the composerplaces upon his performers. With the guiding principle "historically informed interpreted today," Hans-Christoph Rademann and the Dresdner Kammerchor present precisely the lesser-known works of Schütz on the highest artistic level as an open invitation for new discovery. The recorded performance of the complete works of Schütz is being produced in cooperation with MDR Figaro.

Swiss Choral Music : Choral Collection with CD

Norbert Burgmüller: Sinfonien Nr. 1 + 2

In February 2010 Norbert Burgmüller would be 200 years old. The legacy of this composer from Düsseldorf includes, in addition to the two symphonies recorded on the present CD, a piano sonata, 22 Lieder, and several smaller works. Robert Schumann described Burgmüller’s first symphony as “the most significant, noble work written in recent times.” Whereas in this symphony the models of the composer Beethoven, Weber and Spohr are clearly recognizable, the second, unfinished symphony [or at least it has been handed down unfinished], on the other hand, is a very original work. The recording by the Hofkapelle Stuttgart under Frieder Bernius is an impressive homage in honor of the200th birthday of the composer.

Works For Choir and Orchestra : Set with Study Scores

Loreley. Folk Songs For Choir : Choral Collection with CD

Musik zu Kasualien, Heft 4

“Music for solo organ” is the fourth volume in the series “Music for occasional services.” In choosing the music for this collection the editor was guided by the principle of publishing not only arrangements of well-known music, but above all unknown organ works. In selecting older as well as newer organ music for “Music for occasional services” care was taken to achieve a balance between the various styles represented in this collection. As a rule, the level of performance is within a moderate range of difficulty. In addition to the indications for the use of these pieces contained in the table of contents, they may also be played in church on many occasions, for sacred eveningservices, and last, but not least, they are practical for use in organ instruction.

Johann Christian Bach: Mailänder Vesperpsalmen

For the arch-Protestant Bach Family as for German musicology in the 19th and early 20th centuries through his conversion to Catholicism and his turning to Italian opera Johann Christian Bach was considerd the “black sheep” of the family. Prior to his brilliant career as an opera composer and impresario in London, from 1757 to 1760 he held the position of organist at the Milan Cathedral. During this period he composed numerous sacred works which are least well-known among the works of the youngest Bach son. Under the direction of Gerhard Jenemann, the renowned solo quartet centered around Joanne Lunn and Thomas E. Bauer, the Süddeutsche Kammerchor and Concerto Köln bring tolight a completely unknown Johann Christian Bach and they make clear why the “London Bach” was also called the “Milan Bach.”

Reger-Werkausgabe, Vol. II/11 : Choral works with piano accompaniment

Tausend Gülden. Sonaten vom Habsburgischen Hof : FBO

Bertali’s courtly compositions reflect the enormous diversity of instrumental music from the 17th century: sonatas with highly virtuosic violin parts alternate with dance-like sonatelles and a ciacona with boisterous rhythms.

Gloria in D - RV 589 : Arranged for choir with one male voice

Gloria in D - RV 589 : Arranged for choir with one male voice

Cleofide : Oper in 3 Akten

Hasse's Cleofide of 1731 can be regarded as the zenith of his creative output not least of all because he integrated several of his greatest arias from earlier works into this opera. The theme from antiquity "Alexander's conquests in India" was perfectly suited to flatter August the Strong, a rather unsuccessful commander-in-chief, who at that moment was occupied with the reorganization of his armies. For performance at the Court of Dresden, Metastasio's original libretto was reworked by Michelangelo Boccardi. As a result, the title of the opera was changed from "Alessandro nell' Indie" to "Cleofide" and Faustina Bordoni, the prima donna and wife of Johann AdolfHasse, became the protagonist of the story. Musically, the opera reflected the style of the time. Hasse's expressive and natural style was admired and appreciated by the public professional musicians alike. The vocal parts were "tailor-made" for the singers and in performing this work the outstanding soloists and the orchestra could shine. Hasse always tried to get the utmost from his musicians and in the case of "Cleofide" he achieved a 100% success. The Carus edition of "Cleofide," which has been published as a part of the Hasse-Werkausgabe, is the very first printed edition of this work. It is based primarily on the original parts used for the first performance in 1731 and presents both an accurate musicological rendering of the sources as well as a practical performance edition.

Auferstehungshistorie. Complete recordings, Vol. 9

With the Auferstehungshistorie [The Resurrection] the complete recording of the works of Heinrich Schütz continues with a further well-known work. The program is supplemented with additional pieces from the Easter cycle. The Dresdner Kammerchor performs under the direction of Hans-Christoph Rademann, together with renowned soloists, four trombonists from the ensembles Instrumenta Musica and the gamba consort The Sirus Viols, under Hille Perl.