Personalities

We take a look at fascinating biographies, or report on particular aspects in the works of Bach, Mozart or Mendelssohn, Matsushita, Miškinis or Močnik. And we present the performers on our CD label, such as Frieder Bernius and the Stuttgart Kammerchor, Hans-Christoph Rademann and the Gaechinger Cantorey, and Calmus Ensemble. As well as this, you will get to meet our editors who report on their editions published by Carus - all true experts of choral music.

Marianna von Martines

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.

English Music Festivals Banner EN

It All Started with Handel…

Georg Frideric Handel is the creator of the English oratorio. When he first staged his Esther as a religious drama without scenic action at the King’s Theatre in London in 1732, it marked the beginning of an unparalleled success story. Opera audiences were so enthusiastic about the new genre that from that time onwards Handel, who was not only a composer but also a theater manager, filled his opera houses with oratorios based on biblical themes. Performances of the Messiah and later of other oratorios too for charitable purposes were one of the central driving forces behind the development of the great music festivals that were held from the early eighteenth century onwards.

Victoria Polevá Blogbanner EN

6 Questions for Victoria Polevá

I find inspiration in the very concept that humans can create music.

Banner 4 Questions for Mårten Jansson

4 Questions for Mårten Jansson

If I only can pick one I do believe I need to pick when I first heard Claude Debussy’s Trois nocturnes for the first time. It was such an eye opener for me. I had never heard music composed in that way before.

6 Questions for Dominick diOrio

I had the chance to prepare the three choruses for Penderecki’s St. Luke Passion at Indiana University when Penderecki himself came to visit in 2017.

Banner Keiko Harada EN

6 Questions for Keiko Harada

In my childhood I was strongly inspired by Debussy’s piano works and also visually by Michio Mamiya’s Score of Piano Sonata No.2, then in and after my late teens by Lachenmann, Ligeti, Kurtag, Webern and Aperghis.

Banner Questions Lucia Birzer

6 Questions for Lucia Birzer

I find Lili Boulanger particularly inspiring, because she created such beautiful music in her short life, Igor Stravinsky for his colors, and in opera or music theater particularly Mozart and Verdi – you can learn simply everything from them.

Banner Nicholas Kok

6 Questions for Nicholas Kok

I wrote a pop song when I was 12, called ‘Fire’. I remember that it was in C major and that the music, which was heavily influenced by Elton John, was better than the lyrics, which were shocking!

Fanny Hensel’s songs as a mirror of her life

Caught between artistic aspirations and social pressures: In the 1830s and 1840s, Fanny Hensel composed a large number of songs. The compositions bear witness to her musical maturity and stylistic diversity. However, these years were not only a time of artistic creativity, but also personal difficulties.

Composer Anniversaries 2025-2028

Our Dream Concert

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!