Heinrich Schütz continued to set himself challenges throughout his long career. Of all the genres of sacred music that he undertook, the oratorio offers us his most contrasting ideas. His Historia der Geburt Jesu Christi (1664) is in many respects the model for the genre that would later be employed by the musicians of Johann Sebastian Bach’s generation; the score that Vox Luminis use for this recording has been reconstructed from manuscript sources in the Düben Collection in Uppsala.

The album is completed with a number of particularly festive motets for the Christmas period by Heinrich Schütz and his illustrious contemporary Andreas Hammerschmidt.

Want to know more about what goes on behind the scenes of this new album? Lionel Meunier gives you all the details in this video.

Discover it in full on your favourite platform via this link.

Musikfest Bremen Atelier brings world-renowned artists connected to the festival to work on specific repertoires with selected young musicians from all over the world in one-week Ateliers.

Lionel Meunier will lead the Atelier “Wege zu Bach III” in Ganderkesee.

Here the combination of period instruments and vocals with the organ as continuo-instrument are central to finding out which composers were formative for the development of Bach. Incorporating the Schnitger organ, this year’s instalment focuses on the legendary Abendmusiken in Lübeck.
During his tenure as organist of St. Mary’s Church, Franz Tunder initially introduced these as organ-only concerts for the city’s merchants, separate from the church services.
His successor and son-in-law Dieterich Buxtehude developed them into a prestigious concert series with a large instrumental and vocal ensemble, which attracted substantial audiences from near and far as if by magic – including the young Bach.

Contact information to participate : https://www.musikfest-bremen.de/en/whats-on/musikfest-atelier

Vox Luminis has teamed up with the Freiburger Barockorchester again, and together they celebrate music for Ascension Day. This topic inspired great composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, four of whose Ascension cantatas have been preserved.

The festive and colourful Cantata BWV 128 Auf Christi Himmelfahrt allein was composed towards the end of Bach’s second year in Leipzig. The Ascension Oratorio BWV 11 was written for larger forces and ends with a triumphant chorus.

In the case of Georg Philipp Telemann, more than thirty cantatas for Ascension Day alone have survived. The cantata Ich fahre auf zu meinem Vater (“I ascend unto my Father”) was composed in 1721. The recording of this cantata is a world premiere.