In 1837 “Des Heilands letzte Stunden” enjoyed a successful British premiere. Numerous performances followed until the end of the century and the oratorio becomes a staple of musical life on the British Isles.
A choir named after Beethoven? Admittedly, he didn’t leave behind an extensive choral repertoire. Tristan Meister, director of the Beethoven Choir Ludwigshafen since 2017, set out to explore this question by delving deep into Beethoven’s choral works.
Only in the last few years has Marianna von Martines (1744–1812) finally begun to win the recognition she deserves as an important composer of the eighteenth century. Martines’s synthesis and mastery of both old and new styles is a central theme in her works, and scholars studying her music have pointed it out frequently. It is especially evident in her sacred choral-orchestral works, one of the earliest being the Seconda Messa of 1760.
Monteverdi’s Vespers from 1610 is one of the few works of its time that belongs to the informal canon of pieces that almost every choir dreams of performing at least once. The work is polyphonic, challenging, and requires not only a high number of soloists, but also a relatively large orchestra, including some instruments that are still rather rare and therefore expensive. However Monteverdi’s Vespers can also be performed with considerably less outlay.
A musical memorial for peace and humanity: Casals was so impressed by the power of the verses that he immediately began setting the poem to music. With this background in mind, it is easy to understand why Alavedra’s “Poema del Pessebre” goes far beyond a jubilant and joyful Christmas message.
C.P.E. Bach and the sentimental style: Musical tastes began to change as early as the 1730s, favoring the so-called Empfindsam (“sentimental”) style, which placed a premium on authentic (i.e. not stylized) feelings, naturalness, and simplicity. This becomes especially clear when we look at Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s oratorio passions.
A Monument of Sacred Music: The work is dedicated to Anton Ritter Imhof von Geißlinghof, an important supporter of Bruckner’s in the Office of the Court Chamberlain. In a letter to the dedicatee, Bruckner emphasized that he had taken “the greatest trouble” in composing the mass. In the early biographies of Bruckner, reference is made to his spiritual inspirations in an anecdotal way.
Church music by Italian opera composers of the 19th century: While opera was clearly at the heart of music in Italy – it was the only way to achieve national renown – church music was certainly more present in the daily lives of the people. Most churches maintained choirs and orchestras, performing pieces written by professional church music directors, who also raised the next generation of musicians and composers.
Any jubilee, whether a birthday or the anniversary of someone’s death or even a premiere, is always a great opportunity to spotlight a particular work. We asked around at Carus to find out what our colleagues would like to play and sing in their choirs in the coming years. Perhaps you can borrow one or two of their ideas!
A previously unknown manuscript in the Puccini Archive in Torre del Lago was identified as the autograph score of the Preludio a Orchestra – and it turned out to be complete! The fourteen missing measures have been copied from this source, so that the complete Preludio can now be performed in its original form.
