Messe solennelle in d
Frieder Bernius, Kammerchor Stuttgart, Klassische Philharmonie Stuttgart
The audience of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival experienced a great musical event when the Kammerchor Stuttgart, conducted by its founder Frieder Bernius, performed Luigi Cherubini’s Messe solennelle No. 2 in D minor. The soloists of the evening were Ruth Ziesak (soprano), Christa Mayer (contralto), Christoph Genz (tenor) and Thomas E. Bauer (bass). The recording of this truly extraordinary work is now available on CD.
After a beginning which seems familiar, unforeseen, imaginative and witty turns lead melodic progressions and harmonic developments into entirely new directions. The harmonic variety is impressive, and chromaticism plays no less important a role. Subtle instrumentation lends many sections an exquisite sonority. And last but not least, the deeply felt interpretation of the text by means of melodic, rhythmic or harmonic figures, as well as by dynamics and tempo is one of the outstanding features of the work, highlighting the performers’ brilliance.
Listen
(12)
- Kyrie
- Gloria in excelsis
- Gratias agimus tibi
- Qui tollis
- Quoniam tu solus sanctus
- Cum Sancto Spiritu
- Credo in unum Deum
- Et incarnatus est
- Et resurrexit
- Sanctus
- Benedictus
- Agnus Dei
Contents
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Composer
Luigi Cherubini
| 1760-1842Luigi Carlo Zenobio Salvatore Maria Cherubini (1760–1842) was an Italian composer. His main works include 15 Italian and 14 French operas. After the emergence of Rossini's operas, his works fell out of fashion for a long time, but have recently been rediscovered. Personal details
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Choir
Kammerchor Stuttgart
The Kammerchor Stuttgart is regarded as one of the best ensembles of its kind. Over its fifty-year existence, Frieder Bernius has developed the choir into an exceptional ensemble acclaimed by audiences and press alike. This has led to invitations for the choir to perform at all the important European festivals. In Germany the chamber choir performs at festivals and in concert halls in repertoire ranging from the 17th to the 21st century. Frieder Bernius and his ensemble have received numerous accolades for their contribution to new music. The Kammerchor Stuttgart has made over 80 CDs and LPs, numerous of which have been awarded international recording prizes (including the Edison award, Diapason d’or, Gramophone Choice, Classical Internet Award, International Classical Music Award, and German Record Critics’ Award prizes). The International Federation for Choral Music has invited the ensemble to sing at the 1st, 4th and 10th World Symposia on Choral Music in Vienna, Sydney and Seoul. Regular tours of North America and Asia since 1988 and a South America tour reflect the Kammerchor Stuttgart’s international reputation. Since 1984 the top ensemble has also been invited to Israel biennially. Personal details
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Orchestra
Klassische Philharmonie Stuttgart
The Klassische Philharmonie Stuttgart is comprised of musicians from leading German symphony orchestras and chamber ensembles who have been performing with Frieder Bernius over a long period. Although the orchestra uses modern instruments, the conductor and his players are particularly interested in stylistic distinctions. For performances of large-scale choral works, the Klassische Philharmonie Stuttgart is the orchestral pendant to the Kammerchor Stuttgart. The orchestra has participated in a variety of events, including the Rheingau Music Festival, Stuttgart European Musikfest, Baden-Württemberg International Festival, Wratislavia Cantans Festival in Wroc³aw (Poland), the Kassel Music Festival, the Philharmonic Society of Brussels and the Herbstliche Musiktage Bad Urach. The idea of creating an orchestral partner of equal quality to the Kammerchor Stuttgart has been vindicated not least by their joint recording of Johannes Brahms’ A German Requiem. The French periodical Répertoire has confirmed Frieder Bernius’s vision of the work as a “discographic knockout.” Personal details
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Conductor
Frieder Bernius
| 1947Frieder Bernius’s work has earned great worldwide recognition. He is in demand internationally as a conductor and as a teacher. His principal artistic collaborators are the ensembles he founded himself, the Kammerchor Stuttgart, the Barockorchester Stuttgart, the Hofkapelle Stuttgart and the Klassische Philharmonie Stuttgart. As a guest conductor, he has collaborated repeatedly with, for example, the SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, the Stuttgarter Kammerorchester and the Streicherakademie Bozen. Great stylistic versatility is Frieder Bernius’s hallmark. Whether he conducts vocal works by Monteverdi, Bach, Händel, Mozart, Beethoven, Fauré and Ligeti, stage music by Mendelssohn or symphonies by Haydn, Burgmüller and Schubert, his work always aims for a sound that is at once unmistakably personal and at the same time oriented towards the original period sound ideal. He devotes himself equally to the rediscovery of 18th century operas and to first performances of contemporary compositions. He is particularly interested in the musical history of southwestern Germany. Carus-Verlag has awarded Frieder Bernius a Golden CD for his complete recording of the sacred music of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. The award was presented to him during the German Choir Festival in Stuttgart 2016. The sale of over 250,000 recordings, which has been acclaimed with a number of awards, has made a not insignificant contribution to what today is the obvious presence of Mendelssohn's complete œuvre in the concert repertoire. Personal details
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Soloist
Ruth Ziesak
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Soloist
Iris-Anna Deckert
The soprano Iris-Anna Deckert studied in Augsburg, Berlin and London with, among others, Dorothea Chryst, Edith Urbanzcyk and Jessica Cash. She is an internationally sought after freelance concert singer with a wide-ranging repertoire of both oratorios and Lieder. In 1994 she was awarded the scholarship of the Deutscher Bühnenverein. She has frequently appeared at major European festivals. Her artistic versatility is documented on numerous radio and CD recordings. Personal details
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Soloist
Christa Mayer
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Soloist
Thomas E. Bauer
Thomas E. Bauer, who today is one of the most sought-after baritones, began singing as a member of the Regensburger Domspatzen. Important performances of contemporary music have left an indelible mark on his artistic profile. He has participated in world premieres of works by Nono, Killmayer and Rihm and he was awarded the Schneider- Schott Musikpreis in 2003 for his outstanding achievements in this area. His repertoire as an opera singer encompasses great title roles, including Monteverdi’s Orfeo, Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia and Berg’s Wozzeck. However, his great passion is singing lieder. He regularly gives lied recitals in Japan (Aoyama Music Award) and – together with the fortepiano specialist Jos van Immerseel – in Paris, Brugge and Brussels. Personal details
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Soloist
Christoph Genz
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Soloist
Robert Buckland
Reviews
... eine tadellose Leistung aller Beteiligten. Mit seiner [Bernius‘] Interpretation gelingt es ihnen, ein weiteres Werk Cherubinis (und damit diesen Tonschöpfer selbst) wieder neu zu entdecken.
Jan-Geert Wolff, Pizzicato, 09/2020
... Großartig die Interpretation des Kammerchors und der klassischen Philharmonie Stuttgart unter Leitung von Frieder Bernius: Das gilt auch für diese Aufnahme eines Live-Konzerts - feiner, ausgereifter, sinnerfüllter und sinnlicher kann man es sich schwerlich vorstellen.
Musica Sacra, 05/2021
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