Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie & Magnificat Musica Fiata, La Capella Ducale & Roland Wilson

• Heinrich Schütz (1585 - 1672): Weihnachtshistorie, SWV 435:
• 1 Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie, SWV 435: I. Eingang 01:25
• 2 Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie, SWV 435: II. Es begab sich aber zu derselbigen Zeit 03:08
• 3 Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie, SWV 435: III. Intermedium 1 - Der Engel 02:47
• 4 Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie, SWV 435: IV. Und alsbald war da bei dem Engel 00:18
• 5 Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie, SWV 435: V. Intermedium 2 - Die Menge der Engel 02:23
• 6 Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie, SWV 435: VI. Und da die Engel von ihnen 00:17
• 7 Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie, SWV 435: VII. Intermedium 3 - Die Hirten 01:27
• 8 Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie, SWV 435: VIII. Und sie kamen eilend 02:59
• 9 Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie, SWV 435: IX. Intermedium 4 - Die Weisen 02:07
• 10 Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie, SWV 435: X. Da das der König Herodes hörte 00:40
• 11 Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie, SWV 435: XI. Intermedium 5 - Die Hohepriester 02:52
• 12 Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie, SWV 435: XII. Da berief Herodes die Weisen 00:32
• 13 Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie, SWV 435: XIII. Intermedium 6 - Herodes 01:58
• 14 Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie, SWV 435: XIV. Als sie nun den König gehöret hatten 02:21
• 15 Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie, SWV 435: XV. Intermedium 7 - Der Engel 02:15
• 16 Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie, SWV 435: XVI. Und er stund auf und nahm das Kindlein 03:34
• 17 Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie, SWV 435: XVII. Intermedium 8 - Der Engel 01:56
• 18 Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie, SWV 435: XVIII. Und er stund auf und nahm das Kindlein 01:57
• 19 Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie, SWV 435: XIX. Beschluss der Geburt unseres Herrn und Seligmachers Jesu Christi 02:22
• Sei gegrüsset, Maria, SWV 333:
• 20 Schütz: Sei gegrüsset, Maria, SWV 333 05:27
• Magnificat, SWV 468:
• 21 Schütz: Magnificat, SWV 468 11:04
• Sehet an den Feigenbaum, SWV 394:
• 22 Schütz: Sehet an den Feigenbaum, SWV 394 04:12
• Der Engel sprach zu den Hirten, SWV 395:
• 23 Schütz: Der Engel sprach zu den Hirten, SWV 395 03:02
• Auf dem Gebirge hat man ein Geschrei, SWV 396:
• 24 Schütz: Auf dem Gebirge hat man ein Geschrei, SWV 396 05:12
• Total Runtime 01:06:15

Info for Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie & Magnificat

The ‘Christmas History’ is one of the best-known works by Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672), probably the most important composer in Germany before Johann Sebastian Bach. This new recording with Musica Fiata and La Capella Ducale under the direction of Roland Wilson features the last, rarely heard version, which was discovered in the Berlin Singakademie and contains significant revisions and new compositions that Schütz made shortly before his death in order to improve the emotional depth and musical sophistication of the work, which was first performed in 1660 and published in revised form in 1664.

The recording emphasises Schütz's masterful use of instruments to portray different characters and emotions, such as the urgent recorders for the shepherds or the solemn trombones for the high priests. The newly added and reconstructed sections have been carefully integrated to create a performance that comes very close to Schütz's original sound ideal.

In addition to the ‘Weihnachtshistorie’, the album, which will be released on 25 October by deutsche harmonia mundi/Sony Music, contains other important works by Schütz, such as the magnificent ‘Magnificat’ and motets from his collection ‘Geistliche Chormusik’ from 1648. These works, recorded with exceptional detail and emotional intensity, demonstrate Schütz's ability to express complex human emotions musically and also to reflect the horrors of the Thirty Years' War.

Musica Fiata
La Capella Ducale
Roland Wilson, conductor

Musica Fiata
was founded in 1976 as an ensemble for the performance of music from the 16th and 17th centuries on historical instruments. A detailed study of the sources on performance practice, the original instruments of this era and their playing techniques led to the development of a speaking style of playing and a characteristic sound that makes even the densest structures appear transparent.

Due to their exciting and virtuoso performances, Musica Fiata has been invited to leading festivals such as Bruges, Prague, Copenhagen, Utrecht, Barcelona, ​​Venice, Ravenna, Israel, Ansbach, Graz, Breslau, York. In addition to numerous radio and television recordings, Musica Fiata has recorded 40 CDs for Sony Classical, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, Pure Classics and CPO, several of which have received international recording awards. In 2012, the recording of the "Sonata à 2, 3, 4, e 5" by Johann Rosenmüller will be released by CPO.

La Capella Ducale
was founded in 1992 by Roland Wilson as a supplement to Musica Fiata in order to ensure stylistic unity in larger works. Critics have attested to the ensemble's impressive performance both in the solo and ensemble areas. The extraordinary homogeneous connection with the instrumental sound is also highlighted. The success of the first CD for Sony with music from Monteverdi's Selva Morale brought invitations to festivals all over Europe. Further CD recordings, including - The Feast of San Rocco - with music by Giovanni Gabrieli, have cemented the ensemble's reputation. Italian baroque music, especially from the 17th century, has remained one of the ensemble's main focuses; In 2008, Musica Fiata and La Capella Ducale performed Monteverdi's 1610 Vespro at the Schwetzingen Festival and performed it in Spain and Portugal in 2010.

The CD with Vespers music by Antonio Vivaldi, released by Deutsche Harmonia Mundi in 2009, was praised in the International Record Review Nov. 2009: "A dream cast of singers and a world-class period instrument orchestra. This is simply the most successful Vivaldi choral recording I have ever heard"

The ensemble's second focus is on German church music before Bach.

Musica Fiata and La Capella Ducale enjoyed great success in concert and on CD with music by the Thomaskantors before Bach, e.g. with the rediscovered Psalms of David by Johann Hermann Schein and cantatas by Johann Schelle as well as with cantatas and the oratorio "The Last Judgement" by Dietrich Buxtehude. In addition to the previous recordings of music by Heinrich Schütz, a release of the “Symphoniae Sacrae I” was added to Deutsche Harmonia Mundi in spring 2010. In 2011 a recording of the “Musiche Concertate” madrigals by Monteverdi’s contemporary Giovanni Valentini will be released.

The work of Musica Fiata and La Capella Ducale can best be described in the words of the Süddeutsche Zeitung: “The festive splendor of sound and instrumental and vocal virtuosity on offer here beautifully demonstrated why early music is so popular: it simply puts you in a radiant mood” (Roland Wilson)

Roland Wilson
studied trumpet at the Royal College of Music, London. Due to his interest in the music of the 16th and 17th centuries, he studied trumpet at the Royal College of Music, London. In the mid-19th century, he began to learn cornetting autodidactically and went on to study at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. As a founding member and director of Musica Fiata, he has played at leading festivals throughout Europe and has been a frequent guest with other renowned ensembles. His musical activities now centre around Musica Fiata and La Capella Ducale and include research into performance practice and his own editions of previously unknown works. His work is documented on numerous CDs by Sony Classical, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, CPO and Pure Classics. His excellent knowledge of 17th century music has enabled him to reconstruct many incompletely surviving works by composers such as Biber, Scheidt, Valentini, Buxtehude and Gabrieli in true style. His performances are characterised by their combination of historical accuracy with artistic inspiration. He also builds reconstructions of historical cornetts.

Booklet for Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie & Magnificat