Respighi: Lauda per la Natività del Signore

In 1930 Ottorino Respighi composed his Lauda per la Nativit del ­Signore, the only sacred choral work among his entire opus. In this hymn of praise to the miracle of Christmas, majestic sounding choral passages alternate with the soloistic roles of Maria, the Angel and the shepherd, accompanied by the sound of pastoral instruments. The music is varied, containing stylistic elements ranging from the late romantic to neo baroque, as well as echoes of Gregorian chant. In this recording by the Rundfunkchor Berlin, under the direction of Nicolas Fink and Maris Sirmais, Respighi’s composition is presented together with beautiful Christmas pieces by Poulenc, Sandström, Kaminskyand Raphael. Like Respighi, in their compositions they employed various techniques and harmonies from previous musical eras.

Campra: Messe de Requiem

The Messe de Requiem is one of André Campra’s (1660-1744) best-known works and was performed especially during the 18th century at important funerals and memorial services. Despite the serious subject, the tenor is neither bleak nor filled with pain but solemnly sublime. Also in the grand motet De profundis Campra, by means of ever newer pictorial-musical representations, leads us step by step from grief to eternal bliss, thus demonstrating his theatrical abilities. ensemble3 which grew out of the Internationale Chorakademie im Dreiländereck has, under the musical direction of Hans Michael Beuerle, recorded two of the most important works of the French Baroque.

Messe de Requiem : Op. 54

Saint-Saëns’ colorful Messe de Requiem op. 54, originally opulently scored, is published here in an ingenious reduced version, so that smaller choirs, and choirs with more limited resources of space or finance can also perform this attractive work with smaller instrumental forces. The original large forces – quadruple wind and brass and four harps – may have been a reason why the expressive and richly colored work was less well-known than the composer’s Oratorio de Noël (Carus 40.455), a popular work the world over. To expand the options for performance, Carus has therefore published two versions of the Messe de Requiem – the original version, whose material has been arranged in such a way that the work can alternatively be performed with 11 instead of 20 wind and brass instruments (Carus 27.317), and a version without any wind or brass, scored just for strings, one or two harps, and organ. These versions are based on an arrangement published by Durand in 1927, and newly adapted by Klaus Rothaupt. The organ is allocated sections of the original wind and brass parts; registration details will help rehearsing. The vocal and string parts are unaltered compared with the original composition, so the vocal and choral score of the original version can also be used for this version. This is a fine-sounding, distinctive setting of the Requiem Mass which is undoubtedly one of the composer’s most important works.

Louis Vierne: Pièces de fantaisie op. 53 + 55

To continue the complete recording of the organ works of Louis Vierne on the Carus label, the second part of his 24 Pièces de fantaisie with Kay Johannsen on the Kern-Orgel of the Frauenkirche Dresden has now been released. The recordings of the Suites op. 53 and and 55 treat the themes of man and nature, as is shown, on the one hand, in the famous “Feux follets”, and on the other hand is reflected in pieces such as “Les cloches de Hinckley” [The bells of Hinckley], which shows Vierne’s fascination for cathedral architecture.

Tombeau De Josquin Desprez (O Mors Inevitabilis)

The 16-part Tombeau de Josquin Desprez, with text taken from the inscription on a gravestone in St. Gudula, Brussels, is a study of Josquin’s polyphony. Over its course, the piece increasingly approaches Josquin’s tonal language, leading up to a couple of measures which are actually by him, before drifting away again.

Messe solennelle de sainte Cécile : CG 56 - Large Score

“Shining rays stream from the ‘Messe de sainte Cécile‘. At first people were ­dazzled, then bewitched, then overcome.” This is how the composer Camille Saint-Saëns described his impression of what was probably Charles Gounod’s best-known setting of the mass. The work written in 1855 in honor of the patron saint of church music, soon became well-known beyond the borders of France and acquired a degree of popularity like almost no other sacred composition. In the Messe de sainte Cécile, Gounod combines sublime simplicity with operatic-dramatic elements and a colorful, effective orchestration. Critical edition in proven Carus quality.

Louis Vierne: Pièces de fantaisie op. 51 + 54

Carus has continued the recording of the complete Works of Louis Vierne in the Frauenkirche Dresden with the first part of the 24 Pièces de fantaisie. Kay Johannsen performs the Suites op. 51 and 54 [1926 27] on the Kern organ in the Frauenkirche. The final movement of the Troisième suite op. 54, “Carillon de Westminster,” is by far the most well-known piece of this collection, and next to the finale of the 1ère Symphonie is surely the most famous of all Vierne’s compositions. Kay Johannsen makes full use of all the sonoral possibilities of the French Kern Organ and skillfully combines his sensitive interpretation with the extraordinary acoustic of the Frauenkirche. This SACDoffers all music lovers unlimited aural delights.

Che Del Ciel, Che Degli Dei : KV 621 - G Major

Camille Saint-Saëns: Oratorio de Noël [Speck]

To equate the concept of the “Christmas oratorio” with the work of J. S. Bach distorts our view of the great variety to be found within this genre. Thus, the Oratorio de Noël of Camille Saint-Saëns is an important and enriching part of the repertoire. This ten-movement work is presented by an unusual ensemble: The vocal part, with string quintet and organ accompaniment, is augmented by the special sonorous effect of a harp, which lends a special atmosphere to the piece. This atmosphere evoked through gentle harmonies, straightforward choral settings and the almost chamber music-like use of the orchestra is interrupted by only a few dramatic passages. The resultingtensions lead to the engaging charm of this work, which also explains the worldwide success of the oratorio. The Vocalensemble Rastatt, Les Favorites and the organist Romano Giefer under the baton of Holger Speck show, with their distinct interpretation, that the concept of the “Christmas oratorio” encompasses many more impressive facets than is often assumed.

Messe in Es - : Vesperae solennes de Confessore

Schubert’s connection to sacred music originated during his youth, when he sang as an eleven-year-old soprano soloist in the Lichtenthal Church in Vienna and later also contributed compositions for mass, as well as other sacred works for worship services. On the other hand the Mass in E flat major D 950 is among Schubert’s last completed works. It was composed in 1828, probably for the Trinity Church in Vienna, Alsergrund. Like many of Schuberts works on a large scale, it was largely forgotten after his death and was only rediscovered on the initiative of Johannes Brahms in 1865. Sir Charles Mackerras conducted the Mass with the Staatskapelle Dresden in this recording for hisbelated debut at the Dresdner Faruenkriche with renowned soloists, including Genia Kühmeier und Matthew Rose. Mozart’s equally-beloved Vesperae solennes de confessore KV 339, with the famous „Laudate Dominum“ completes this recording and it is much more than just a supplement to Schubert’s Masse it points towards the roots of Schubert’s sacred music. The booklet contains an in-depth interview with Sir Charles Macherras.

Au bord de l'eau : Op. 8 no. 1

In "Au bord de l’eau" (By the water) two lovers sit as in a dream, removed from the real world with all its conflicts. They only take themselves seriously, the surrounding nature lies as beneath a dream-like veil: steadily like the river flowing by, the passing clouds, the babbling brook, time also passes. The poet Sully Prudhomme, the first Nobel prizewinner for literature (1901), ends the poem with the assertion that only love is immortal. With this knowledge, Gabriel Fauré’s setting turns from a dreamy, deceptive C sharp minor to a more promising C sharp major. These art songs were originally composed not for chamber choir, but for solo voice and piano. Denis Rouger hascarefully adapted them to suit the requirements and expressive possibilities offered by a larger ensemble, without losing the any of the qualities of the original in the process. Each part in the choir has a melodic line drawn from the harmonic and rhythmic framework. In the process, the variety and refinement of the choral language combines with an enormous flexibility in form and expression, as French melodies or German art song demand from a soloist and pianist. The songs have been recorded by the figure humaine chamber choir on the CD "Kennst du das Land ..." (Carus 83.495).

Christmas Carols for violoncello : 20 easy carols for winter, Advent and Christmas for 1?3 violincellos and piano

Vad vore julen utan att göra musik tillsammans? Advents-, jul- och vintersånger spelar en viktig roll för alla nybörjare på ett melodiinstrument, för med dessa kan de visa upp sina framsteg på instrumentet under det första året. Och inget passar bättre till detta än älskade och populära julklassiker. Volymerna i vår serie för instrumentell undervisning, utvecklade i samarbete med Landesakademie für die musizierende Jugend i Baden-Württemberg, innehåller alla 20 lätta sånger arrangerade i progressiv svårighetsgrad. Erfarna instrumentallärare har gjort ett urval av julsånger för varje instrument enligt specifika kriterier. Dessa kan bemästras som en del av musikskolans lektioner efter bara några veckor och månader. Alla julsånger har valts och transponerats så att kombinationen av räckvidd och fingersättning inte överstiger svårighetsgraden under de tre första åren av inlärning. Pianoackompanjemanget är av måttlig svårighetsgrad. Till många av julsångerna ingår en ad lib övre eller nedre del som även kan spelas av instrumentala elever. Volymerna lämpar sig därför för såväl individuell som gruppundervisning. Arrangemangen är baserade på piano och instrumentala böcker från JULSAMEN-projektet (Carus 2.403/03 och 2.404/03) som är en del av LIEDERPROJEKT, välgörenhetsprojektet för att ytterligare sjunga med barn. Böckerna innehåller sångtexter för alla julsånger, vilket ger ett komplett utbud av alternativ för att sjunga och spela tillsammans under julen. Alla böcker inkluderar den tryckta musiken av pianoackompanjemanget. Digitala uppspelningsspår är tillgängliga för alla böcker. Ytterligare upplagor för flöjt, klarinett, altsax, trumpet, fiol, cello

Messe de Requiem : Op. 54

Messe de Requiem : Op. 54

Messe de Minuit pour Noël

Nees: De zee is een orkest

Oh Lord, Creator of all thing : Sopra Deh poi ch'era nei fati del Marentio - A minor - SWV 450a

Oratorio de Noël (Weihnachtsoratorium) op. 12 : Bass

Oratorio de Noël (Weihnachtsoratorium) op. 12 : Alto

Kinderhits Mit Witz 22 : Droles De Tubes

Messe de Minuit pour Noël - H 9

Oratorio de Noël (Weihnachtsoratorium) op. 12 : Soprano

Oratorio de Noël (Weihnachtsoratorium) op. 12 : Tenor

O père qu'adore mon père (Hymne de Lamartine)

Cantique de Jean Racine D flat major - op. 11 : Streicherfassung