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A life-recording
of the concert, which took place at the convent church in Maulbronn,
june 12./13. in 1999, produced by A.O.Grimminger & J.S.Kindler.
Kantorei Maulbronn, Svetlana Strezeva (soprano), Jolanta Michalska-Taliaferro
(mezzosoprano), Willi Stein (tenor), Nikita Storojev (bass) and
members of the SWR-symphony-orchestra.
Conductor: Jürgen Budday
„Messe
solennelle de Saint-Cécile“
by Charles Gounod
(1818-1893)
Charles Gounod has become famous for his opera „Margarete“
above all. It is hardly known that his first passion was clerical
music. The „Messe solennelle de Saint-Cécile“
is worth to be called the most beautiful among his numerous clerical
compositions. The work is distinguished by a maze of marvellous
melodies, an extremly lined-up orchestra and the harmonious interconnection
of solists and choir. The first staging of the mass was in November,
22. 1855 at St. Eustache in Paris. Gounod wrote the work for
the celebration of St. Cecile, who is the patroness of clerical
music. With certain instinct he combined the dramatic counterparts
of clerical music and motifs and melodies of the Grand Opera.
The plain covering figures of the orchestra above all give a
uniform mood to the sets of the mass, which manifests itself
in sacral dignity.
„Stabat
Mater“
by Gioacchino Rossini
(1792-1868)
Heinrich Heine described Ronssin‘s Music as „deeply
experiences and yet naive, adequate to the enormous martyrdom
but in the same moment childlike.“ He felt gracefulness
within the very terror and thus understood its visionary character.
Only after his carrer as an opera composer, Rossini turned to
clerical music. In his compositions he used to mix up traditionel
stiles with opera-like gesture to mark the dramatical content
of the lyrics. According to the Italian tradition of clerical
music Rossine devided the mediaeval sequenz of „Stabat Mater“
clearly into solo- and ensemble-sets. The „Stabat Mater“
covers as well opera-like as traits of clerical music: sweeping
melodies and drifting rhythms combine with sections, composed
in old stile.
The Edition
What makes the European atmosphere so intense? What defines the
European heritage? Where can you find the roots of European culture?
Guided by these questions, we document major works of European
music in live-recordings at one of the most authentic cisalpean
places by our Edition Monastery Maulbronn. I´ve tasted
myself physically the perfect accoustical and architectical beauty
of this performing place and the exquisite musical staging -
which deeply impressed me. An editor cannot but follow his intention
to preserve those cultural values for the posterity. (Josef Stefan
Kindler)
The concerts
at the Monastery Maulbronn
The concerts at the monastery Maulbronn are performed since 1968
and offer in the meantime a programm, which has not only international
continuance, but also stands the comparison with bigger stages
in the world. The performances take place between may and september
in the historical rooms of the monastery (church, layical refectory,
cloister garden). There are about 25 concerts annually. We publish
a selection of the most beautiful works of religious and secular
music by our edition.
The monastery
Maulbronn
The monastery is recognized as the only completely preserved
medeaeval complex north of the alps. In 1994 it was admitted
to the „Unesco-list of world culture heritage of mankind“
as the 13. building in germany and so finds himself in company
with such famous buildings as the Pyramids or the Tadsch Mahal.
„The
cd-edition is a thunderbolt...“
„The
also in the question of sound excellent recording supports an
interesting and notable variant on the recordings of Harnoncourt,
Gardiner, Marriner and Creed...“ (Dr. Karl-Georg Berg about "Jephtha"
/ Die Rheinpfalz)
The Maulbronn
Choir / Kantorei Maulbronn
The Maulbronn
Choir was formed in 1948 by members of the church choir and the
seminar choir, led by Martin Süsse. In 1979 Jürgen
Budday took over conduction. The main focus beside the regulary
participation in mass lies on the staging of big oratory literature.
The concerts with national and international famous orchestras
and soloists indicate the high standart of quality of this ambitioned
layical choir. The choir participated in live-recordings of national
broadcasting companies like the ZDF, SDR and the Deutschlandfunk. |
