In the case of Ravel’s composition L’Aurore (Carus 10.407), submitted in 1905, the poet was Édouard Guinand, an author who had already provided the text for the cantata L’Enfant prodigue in 1884, with which Claude Debussy won first prize. L’Aurore describes an idyllic view of nature at sunrise and celebrates the sun almost as a deity for its beneficial influence on nature and mankind.
There’s a lot to discover when you start exploring the origins of the famous parodies in the Christmas Oratorio. The second important “quarry” which the composer mined for the Christmas Oratorio was the cantata Herkules auf dem Scheidewege (Hercules at the Crossroads) – a “dramma per musica”.
Some choral works are not long enough for a full concert on their own, but they invite pairings with other compositions and they can be ideal for rounding off a concert program. We present our Carus suggestions for your repertoire.
A work of timeless beauty: We interviewed editor Andreas Gies, who introduces us to the world of Mascagni’s Messa di Gloria and reveals why it deserves our full attention.
Based on three fascinating cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach, chief editor Dr. Uwe Wolf shows how musicologists and performers bring lost or incomplete masterpieces back to life through careful reconstructions.
In honor of the 300th anniversary, Carus editor-in-chief Dr. Uwe Wolf looks at Bach’s chorale cantata year-cycle from 1724/1725.
Mozart’s “Requiem”: Carus chief editor Uwe Wolf spoke to Howard Arman about his approach to completing the fragment.
What makes the Mozart Requiem so fascinating? Mozart expert Ulrich Leisinger on Mozart’s fragmentary last work.
Alon Schab discusses the thought process behind his Urtext work on Handels Coronation Anthems.
To mark the new publication “Swiss Choral Music” we interviewed the two editors, Johannes Meister and Patrick Secchiari. Which piece is particularly funny? And do they have a favourite piece? Johannes Meister and Patrick Secchiari answer these questions and many more in the interview.
(c) Sven Cichowicz