Praetorius: Polyhymnia Caduceatrix et Panegyrica

Praetorius: Polyhymnia Caduceatrix et Panegyrica
Music for Christmas Hymns of Peace and Praise
La Capella Ducale / Musica Fiata - Roland Wilson
Sony Vivarte 62929 (2 CDs)

Contents:

    CD1 Christmas Music and Magnificat

  1. Wachet auf ruft uns die Stimme (7:48)
  2. Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her (4:03)
  3. Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ (11:18)
  4. Nun komm der Heiden Heiland (7:11)
  5. Puer natus in Bethlehem (5:52)
  6. Magnificat: Meine Seel erhebt den Herren (17:29)
  7. Omnis mundus jocundetur (6:07)
  8. Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (3:18)
  9. In dulci jubilo (8:01)

    CD2 Hymns of Peace and Praise

  1. Hallelujah: Christ ist erstanden (7:16)
  2. Siehe, wie fein und lieblich ists (10:04)
  3. Ach mein Herr, straf mich doch nicht (10:36)
  4. Gelobet und gepreiset (10:12)
  5. O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig (3:46)
  6. Jubiliret fröhlig (4:37)
  7. Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam (8:32)
  8. In dich hab ich gehoffet, Herr (14:14)
  9. Verleih uns Frieden gnädiglich (5:01)

Recorded: St Osdag, Mandelsloh, Germany November 1996

Timing: CD1 71:11 CD2 74:23

Texts and Notes in German, French and English.

Published in 1619, the same year as Schütz' Psalmen Davids and written probably during the five preceding years, these items provide ample illustration of Praetorius' compositorial capabilities. Some of the items on CD2 are heart-felt pleas for peace, threatened as it was on the eve of the thirty years' war. Part of what was intended to be an enormous publishing project, curtailed by ill health, most of the pieces are based on chorales and exhaustive instructions on how to perform them survive. Consequently a number of less common instruments is employed, as well as one piece being performed instrumentally (CD2: Jubiliret fröhlig on Praetorius' suggestion). As Schütz' nominal superior during a number of years, Praetorius' compositions used Italian idioms (polychorality in particular) in Germany prior to Schütz doing so.

La Capella Ducale: Gundula Anders, Constanze Backes, Mona Spägele, Veronika Winter, Gela Birckenstaedt - Soprano; Ralf Popken, Werner Buchin, Arno Tabertshofer, Detlef Bratschke - Alto; Wilfried Jochens, Markus Brutscher, Knut Schoch, Christoph Buurmeester - Tenor; Harry van der Kamp, Frederick Martin, Peter Zimpel - Bass. Musica Fiata: Arno Paduch - Cornetto/Cornetto muto/Trumpet; Hans-Peter Westermann - Cornetto/Cornetto muto/Trumpet/Recorders; François Petit-Laurent - Trumpet/Cornetto muto; Detlef Reimers - Alto Sackbut/Tenor Sackbut; Yuji Fujimoto - Alto Sackbut/Tenor Sackbut/Trumpet; Peter Sommer - Bass Sackbut/Tenor Sackbut/Recorder; Henning Plumeyer - Bass Sackbut/Contrabass Sackbut; Hannes Kothe - Trumpet; Almu Rux - Trumpet; Frank Hiesler - Timpani; Christian Beuse - Dulcian/Great Bass Dulcian/; Anette Sichelschmidt - Violin/Brass-strung violin; Christine Moran - Violin/Viola da braccio; Barbara Hofmann - Viola da Gamba; Hille Perl - Viola da Gamba; Irmelin Heiseke - Viola da Gamba; Hartwig Groth - Violone; Lee Santana - Cittern; Wolfgang Katschner - Chitarrone; Axel Wolf - Chitarrone/Lute; Ulrich Wedemeyer - Chitarrone/Lute; Christoph Lehmann - Organ; Klaus Eichhorn - Organ, Regal.

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