FreeFreight Is Available. Click for Details
Conductor
Ensemble
Notes & Reviews:
2012 marks the WESER-RENAISSANCE ensemble's 20th anniversary. We count ourselves lucky to have released more than 25 CDs with them on CPO. We offer our congratulations and in keeping with the occasion have now a new CD with madrigals and instrumental works by Grabbe.
Reviews
Johann Grabbe madrigals Manfred Cordes
Among the finest of the Italian madrigalists were Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613) and Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643). Nicholas Yonge’s publication in 1588 of "Musica transalpina," a collection of Italian madrigals with English texts, triggered a vogue for English madrigals that lasted well into the 17th century. Composers Thomas Morley, Thomas Weelkes, and John Wilbye were among the most famous English madrigalists.
Several prolific madrigalists lived in Germany. Rolande de Lassus (a.k.a. Orlando di Lasso) settled in Munich while Philippe de Monte, the most prolific madrigal composer of all, lived in Vienna. Many Germans studied in Italy, particularly with the Venetians; Hans Leo Hassler studied with Andrea Gabrieli, and Heinrich Schuetz with Monteverdi. Each brought back to Germany what he had learned and wrote madrigals or madrigalian pieces in both Italian and German.
Since the German late-Renaissance/early-Baroque composer and organist Johann Grabbe (1585-1655) has fallen into virtually total obscurity, you may be forgiven for not knowing his name. According to Wikipedia he was a child prodigy who became a member of the Bueckeburg Court choir at 11, learned the organ from Cornelius Conradus, succeeded him as organist, and was then, like Heinrich Schuetz, awarded a scholarship to study in Venice between 1607 and 1610 with the late-Renaissance composer Giovanni Gabrieli. While there, Grabbe published his "Primo libro" (First Book) of madrigals as his graduation thesis.
In 1614 Grabbe became vice-Kapellmeister to Count Ernst III of Schaumburg-Lippe at the court of Bueckeburg. Having already studied the Dutch school of Sweelinck with Conradus and Italian music with Gabrieli, Grabbe now became familiar with English instrumental music because the English composers William Brade and Thomas Simpson were also employed as court musicians at Bueckeburg. Grabbe displayed complete mastery of the latest Italian madrigal style. His settings of G. B. Marini's "Alma afflitta" show similarities not only in the rhythm of the declamation but also in the contours of the melodic lines and in figures used to illustrate individual words.
This CD from CPO includes all of Grabbe’s madrigals, most them in Italian, plus his instrumental works.
To my ears the performance and recording sound very good.
Ted Wilks
Submitted on 04/07/13 by Ted Wilks
Several prolific madrigalists lived in Germany. Rolande de Lassus (a.k.a. Orlando di Lasso) settled in Munich while Philippe de Monte, the most prolific madrigal composer of all, lived in Vienna. Many Germans studied in Italy, particularly with the Venetians; Hans Leo Hassler studied with Andrea Gabrieli, and Heinrich Schuetz with Monteverdi. Each brought back to Germany what he had learned and wrote madrigals or madrigalian pieces in both Italian and German.
Since the German late-Renaissance/early-Baroque composer and organist Johann Grabbe (1585-1655) has fallen into virtually total obscurity, you may be forgiven for not knowing his name. According to Wikipedia he was a child prodigy who became a member of the Bueckeburg Court choir at 11, learned the organ from Cornelius Conradus, succeeded him as organist, and was then, like Heinrich Schuetz, awarded a scholarship to study in Venice between 1607 and 1610 with the late-Renaissance composer Giovanni Gabrieli. While there, Grabbe published his "Primo libro" (First Book) of madrigals as his graduation thesis.
In 1614 Grabbe became vice-Kapellmeister to Count Ernst III of Schaumburg-Lippe at the court of Bueckeburg. Having already studied the Dutch school of Sweelinck with Conradus and Italian music with Gabrieli, Grabbe now became familiar with English instrumental music because the English composers William Brade and Thomas Simpson were also employed as court musicians at Bueckeburg. Grabbe displayed complete mastery of the latest Italian madrigal style. His settings of G. B. Marini's "Alma afflitta" show similarities not only in the rhythm of the declamation but also in the contours of the melodic lines and in figures used to illustrate individual words.
This CD from CPO includes all of Grabbe’s madrigals, most them in Italian, plus his instrumental works.
To my ears the performance and recording sound very good.
Ted Wilks
Submitted on 04/07/13 by Ted Wilks
Login or Create an Account to write a review
