Missa Pange Lingua
“Josquin is the master of notes” – This well-known quotation from Martin Luther describes how renowned Josquin des Préz (ca. 1450–1521) was already during his lifetime throughout Europe. Moreover, in the ensuing centuries the fascination with his work did not abate. He was the first composer who freed music from the predominant force of the cantus firmus and placed his formative genius above musical tradition. For many years the Kammerchor Josquin des Préz has successfully devoted its efforts to the musical opus of Josquin and in addition to the Missa Pange Lingua the choir presents lesser-known works on this, its debut CD.
Awarded the Pizzicato Supersonic Award
Listen
(12)
- O virgo virginum
- Sit nomen Domini
- Hymnus Pange Lingua
- Kyrie
- Gloria
- Credo
- Sanctus
- Agnus Dei
- Ave nobilissima creatura
- Ave virgo sanctissima
- Erhabnes Wort, das uns erscheint
- Tu solus qui facis mirabilia
-
Composer
Josquin des Préz
| -1521
-
Preface writer
Bernhard Schrammek
-
Ensemble
Kammerchor Josquin des Préz
The Leipzig chamber choir Kammerchor Josquin des Préz has been acclaimed by press and public alike for its exceptional musical sensitivity and sense of style. The ensemble has enthused audiences through its blended, powerful and well-balanced choral sound, as well as the excellent quality of the individual voices. Founded in Leipzig in 1987, the Kammerchor Josquin des Préz has given over 400 concerts to date and has established a reputation as one of the leading early music ensembles. Four conductors have shaped its musical development: Raik Fischer (1987–89), Steffen Kammler (1989– 97), Uwe Witzel (1997–2002), and Ludwig Böhme, who has been artistic director since 2002. Under Böhme’s direction the choir launched “Josquin – Das Projekt” – a unique project worldwide to perform the complete works of Josquin des Préz. Since 2004 regular concerts have taken place in St. Thomas’s Church, Leipzig, examining Josquin’s works in the light of their relationship to musical developments of all subsequent eras. “Josquin – Das Projekt” is now a firm fixture in the Leipzig concert cal - endar, and the chamber choir is one of the leading ensembles of its kind in the music city of Leipzig. Although principally an a cappella ensemble, the choir also performs regularly with instrumental ensembles, most recently in November 2009 in an acclaimed performance of Claudio Monteverdi’s Marienvesper and in April 2010 in a live broadcast of Bach’s Easter Oratorio on Deutschlandradio Kultur. The Kammerchor Josquin des Préz has won prizes in competitions, most recently with “outstanding success” and a 2nd prize in the 8th Deutscher Chorwettbewerb 2010 in Dortmund, where it also won a special prize for the best program in the competition. This was preceded by winning the 5th Sächsischer Chorwettbewerb in June 2009. Numerous tours have taken the singers throughout both eastern and western Europe. They are popular guest artists at festivals such as the MDR Musiksommer, Kultursommer Rheinland-Pfalz, and the Bach Festival Leipzig. The ensemble has been chosen by the Goethe-Institut as cultural ambas - sadors for Germany, travelling in this role to Albania in 2006. Radio broadcasts on MDR, WDR and DRadio Kultur together with CD recordings, in - cluding the rarely-heard Penitential Psalms by Orlando di Lasso, illustrate the group’s high artistic quality. Personal details
-
Conductor
Ludwig Böhme
| 1979Ludwig Böhme has been artistic director of the Windsbach Boys' Choir since 2022. Böhme spent his childhood in the St Thomas Boys' Choir in Leipzig and then studied choral conducting at the University of Music and Theatre in Leipzig. In 1999, he founded the Calmus Ensemble with other former members of the St Thomas Boys' Choir. For 23 years, he was the baritone and creative head of the Leipzig quintet, which developed into an internationally successful and award-winning vocal group under his leadership. From 2002 to 2022, Böhme directed the Josquin des Préz chamber choir, with which he won first prize at the German Choir Competition in 2018. Böhme was the artistic director and initiator of the concert series ‘Josquin – Das Projekt’, the world's first complete performance of Josquin's works, which began in Leipzig's St. Thomas Church in 2004 and celebrated its successful conclusion there in 2017. For ten years, Ludwig Böhme was the artistic director of the Leipzig Synagogue Choir, a multi-award-winning ensemble dedicated exclusively to synagogue and Yiddish music. With many projects – from the rediscovery of choral symphonic works to concepts of tolerance – he has contributed to making Jewish music more visible in the choral scene. This has resulted in a busy stage career: Böhme has been a guest at all the major German music festivals, has given concerts in numerous European countries, Israel, Central and South America, and has toured the USA and Canada more than 30 times. He has worked with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, the Basel Chamber Orchestra, the Wroclaw Baroque Orchestra, the Orquesta Barroca de Sevilla, the lautten compagney berlin, the Nuremberg State Philharmonic, the MDR Symphony Orchestra and the HR Big Band, among others. More than 30 CD productions, awarded with OPUS and ECHO Klassik as well as several CARA and Supersonic Awards, document his extensive work. Ludwig Böhme taught conducting at the music academies in Leipzig, Halle and Bayreuth, gives workshops and master classes, serves on juries and is active as a composer and arranger. Translated with DeepL.com (free version) Personal details
Reviews
the very best qualities of Kammerchor Josquin des Prèz - a near-perfect balance of sound and depth of resonance.
(Anne Lyman, Choral Journal, Februar 2012)
The 16 voices of this very competent German ensemble provide pleasing readings of familiar and unfamiliar works by Josquin. The singing and direction are highly intelligent, and each phrase of the music is interpreted in a thoughtful and expressive way.
(Dr. James Ross, Early Music Review, April 2011)
une interprétation extrêmement aboutie.
(Pizzicato Supersonic Award, pizzicato, 4/2011)
… diese absolut stimmige Aufnahme hat das Zeug zum „Klassik-Award”. Der Kammerchor Josquin des Préz unter Leitung von Ludwig Böhme ist ein idealer Sachwalter der Musik seines Namenspaten. … Der Chor singt ungemein facetten- und nuancenreich, ist im Klang völlig ausgewogen und ideal balanciert. Vor allem die biegsamen, samtweichen und dennoch substanziellen Männerstimmen dieses jungen Ensembles haben mich fasziniert. Den Hörer dieser CD erwartet A-cappella-Klang in höchster Vollendung.
(Michael Klein, Glaube und Heimat - Mitteldeutsche Kirchenzeitung, 20. März 2011)
Das Gesamtwerk Josquin Desprez' aufzuführen ist keine ganz kleine Herausforderung – quantitativ nicht, aber vor allem mit Blick auf die enorme kompositorische Qualität der Werke wartet manche Hürde auf die Interpreten. Nichts weniger aber haben sich Ludwig Böhme – ehemaliger Thomaner, jetzt Bariton im formidablen Calmus Ensemble und zugleich seit 2002 Leiter des ebenfalls in Leipzig beheimateten Kammerchors Josquin des Préz – seit 2004 auf die Fahnen geschrieben. Eine Frucht dieser intensiven Beschäftigung liegt nun mit der aktuellen Platte des Ensembles vor.
(Dr. Matthias Lange, klassik.com, 01.02.2011)
Ludwig Böhme gestaltet mit seinen Sängern facettenreich: mal volltönend, in Wohlklang hüllend, dann wieder zum Lauschen herausfordernd, wobei ein vitaler Grundpuls in der komplexen Polyphonie stets präsent bleibt. Das schlank besetzte Ensemble entwickelt eine leuchtende Kraft und eine ausgezeichnete stimmliche Homogenität von den profunden Bässen bis zu glockenreinen Sopranen.
(Heike Bronn, CHOR und KONZERT online, 01/2011)
Der Chor singt sehr stilsicher, transparent und ohne unnötiges Vibrato. Die Aufnahme aus der Lutherkirche Leipzig ist sehr gelungen, weil sie langen Nachhall mit vokaler Direktheit verbindet - sehr empfehlenswert.
(Mannheimer Morgen, 23.12.2010)
Reviews on our website can only be submitted by customers with a registered user account. A check whether the rated products were actually purchased does not take place.
Frequent questions about this work
There are no questions and answers available so far or you were unable to find an answer to your specific question about this work? Then click here and send your specific questions to our Customer Services!