Artist: Johann Kuhnau
Title Of Album: Kuhnau: Complete Sacred Works, Vol. 1-8
Year Of Release: 2015-2023
Genre: Classical
Quality: FLAC (*tracks,covers)
Total Time: 08:56:59 min
Total Size: 2,81 Gb (+1%rec.)
Vol. 1 -
This disc of world premieres marks the beginning of the first-ever complete scholarly and critical edition of Kuhnau's cantatas. Conducted by Gregor Meyer, Artistic
Director of the Gewandhaus Choir, this ambitious project will culminate in a tercentenary edition of Kuhnau's cantatas in 2022.
Introductory notes by renowned Bach scholar Dr. Michael Maul emphasize the importance of this edition as "a crucial musical aspect
of the transitional period, so exciting for the history of the genre, between the sacred concerto of the 17th century and the sacred cantata of the late Baroque… an aspect whose importance cannot be overestimated."
Vol. 2
The second part of our complete recording of Johann Kuhnau's sacred works includes only premiere recordings and offers a multifaceted picture of Kuhnau's cantatas. Kuhnau was often considered merely a precursor to Johann Sebastian Bach, but as this release demonstrates, he never lacked an innovative spirit!
Vol. 3
The third volume of Johann Kuhnau's complete collection of surviving sacred works, released by cpo, includes the Magnificat. It is the composer's most significant contribution to church music, and of all his works, it is the work most directly compared to the central composition of Johann Sebastian
Bach, his successor as music director of the Church of St. Thomas Aquinas. Like Bach, Kuhnau divides the Latin text into twelve contrasting
movements consisting of choruses and arias. Both composers/music directors utilized nearly all the instrumental resources available at the time, and both
considered the lush arrangement of the Magnificat an essential part of their repertoire; it can be said to have served as a musical confirmation of the excellence of their
composing and church music. The recording also includes three other cantatas written by Kuhnau for the Christmas holidays. These works
represent yet another outstanding example of the musical brilliance of which Kuhnau was capable.
Vol. 4
The seven works collected in Volume 4 of our complete recording of Kuhnau's cantatas represent a remarkable cross-section, including sacred works and much more.
They have also been transmitted in a variety of ways.
The range of sources ranges from surviving autographs and original printed editions, which leave no doubt about Kuhnau's authorship, to copies clearly dating
from a later period, or sources from rather secondary transmission lines, in which the materials themselves, as well as stylistic features, provide grounds for critical skepticism regarding the attribution of works to Kuhnau. The most reliable sources in terms of authenticity are those of
two funeral dirges: "Gott that uns nicht gesetzt zum Zorn" and "Ach, Gott, wie lässt du mich verstarren."
Vol. 5
The five works collected in our complete recording of Johann Kuhnau's cantatas again cover a wide range of forms. All of these works presumably date
from the first half of his tenure as music director at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. Above all, the final psalm concert, "Singet
dem Herr ein neues Lied," is one of the most impressive examples of Kuhnau's outstanding mastery as music director of St. Thomas Church. A sumptuous instrumental ensemble with two trumpets, timpani, and five-part string section offers a magnificent rendition of Psalm 99. Here, individual
instrumental and vocal groups engage in energetic interplay in almost every section, thereby perfectly demonstrating the jubilation, singing, and music-making
to the glory of God, as extolled in the text. Throughout these works, Kuhnau offers polyphonic feats that pose serious
tests to the virtuoso talent of his musicians, as well as highly effective tonal combinations and echo effects. Once again, the soloists' ensemble Opella
Musica, founded by Gregor Meyer in 2011, and the historically oriented ensemble Camerata Lipsiensis will perform the cantatas based on the recently published
musicological critical edition.
Vol. 6
The sixth volume of this complete recording represents, so to speak, the opposite poles of the broad spectrum encompassed by Kuhnau's music, both formally and chronologically. On the one hand, in "Ihr Himmel jubiliert von oben" (Irish Jubiliert von oben) and "Lobet, ihr Himmel, den Herrn" (Irish Jubiliert, Irish Jubiliert, Irish Jubiliert), we find two magnificent cantatas, the "Ascension," for large ensembles, written by Kuhnau during his later period as music director of St. Thomas. On the other hand, "Bone Jesu, care Jesu" and "Laudate pueri Dominum," Italian-style works written for chamber ensemble during Kuhnau's time as organist of St. Thomas, a work with a wide range of activities, represent exemplary illustrations of the sacred concert of the late 17th century. "Ich freue mich
im Herrn" for four concertists, choir, and strings occupies a middle ground between these works and offers an intriguing combination of concerto-aria-cantata,
popular in the late 17th century. The 17th-century cantatas, in rondo form, are performed with love and joy. Once again, the Opella Musica soloists' ensemble, founded by Gregor
Meyer in 2011, and the historically oriented Camerata Lipsiensis orchestra interpret these cantatas based on a recently published critical
musicological edition.
Vol. 7
The penultimate disc in our complete recording of Johann Kuhnau's cantatas once again presents outstanding examples of German Lutheran church music. "They reinforce
the positive impression created by the previous volumes. The singers are thoroughly familiar with Kuhnau's work, and this knowledge is clearly audible. The instrumental parts
are performed flawlessly" (musicweb international, Vol. 6). Kuhnau's magnificent cantata "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern" for five-part choir, two cornet
grands, two recorders, five-part strings (with separated violas), and basso continuo is undoubtedly a masterpiece of his oeuvre
and a special highlight of Volume 7. This work was transmitted in a copy made by the renowned Weimar city organist and lexicographer Johann Gottfried
Walther, who is known to have had a personal dialogue with Kuhnau. The cantata is framed by a spiritual hymn of the same name by Philipp Nicolai and originates from an anonymous poet,
and in it, Kuhnau fully lives up to the distinguished reputation he enjoyed among his contemporaries as a composer of vocal music in the style of church
prayer. The opening choir clothes the chorale in a musical canvas of magnificent sound, composed of imitations, anticipations, repetitions, and a motet-like character,
which few composers of his generation could capture on paper.
Vol. 8
"The eighth CD of Kuhnau's complete vocal works, released in honor of the 300th anniversary of Johann Kuhnau's death in June 2022, completes
this ambitious project. This recording presents a wide range of musical genres. It includes everything from simple secular arias to sacred concertos clearly
in the 17th-century tradition, and complex cantata-like structures like those performed by the mature cantor Thomas Kuhnau. Three arias
represent a special kind of discovery." Handed down from generation to generation in an anonymous score from the historic music collection of the Grimma princely school, they were recently identified by René Bialik as autographs by Johann Kuhnau. The arias, consisting of three or four stanzas, each with a partially
choral refrain, allude both textually and musically to the symbolic event of their origin, which was apparently celebrated outdoors.
The Latin chamber cantata "Spirate clementes, o "Zephyri amici"" is also unique in its own way. Kuhnau's musical arrangement is distinguished by a distinctly chant-like and flowing character, rarely found in his other works.
VOLUMES
2015 - Kuhnau: Complete Sacred Works, Vol. 1 - (01:09:34)
2017 - Kuhnau: Complete Sacred Works, Vol. 2 - (01:07:28)
2017 - Kuhnau: Complete Sacred Works, Vol. 3 - (01:14:16)
2019 - Kuhnau: Complete Sacred Works, Vol. 4 - (00:54:49)
2020 - Kuhnau: Complete Sacred Works, Vol. 5 - (01:07:34)
2021 - Kuhnau: Complete Sacred Works, Vol. 6 - (00:57:36)
2022 - Kuhnau: Complete Sacred Works, Vol. 7 - (01:14:23)
2023 - Kuhnau: Complete Sacred Works, Vol. 8 - (01:11:19)
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