Fürchtet euch nicht! – Sacred Music of the German Baroque

„Fear you not!“ - Sacred Songs and Sonatas from Baroque Germany

German sacred music from the Baroque composed by its most notable representatives including Heinrich Schütz, Dietrich Buxtehude and Christoph Bernhard. The program opens with miniature pieces by Schütz from his „Kleine Geistliche Konzerte“, composed when musical forces were necessarily small due to the impact of the Thirty-Years War, such as „Ich liege und schlafe“ for bass and „Eile mich, Gott, zu erretten“ for soprano. In “Wann unsere Augen schlafen ein” Schütz writes expressively using chromaticism effectively between soprano and bass. Christoph Bernhard was a student of Schütz who is famous for having written a treatise on singing that is often studied but his music is no less important and impressive. “O welch eine tiefe des Reichtums” is a virtuosic piece for bass and two violins and “Herr wer wird wohnen” a beautiful duet for soprano and bass. Instrumental Sonatas by Johann Rosenmüller and Dietrich Buxtehude add color and depth to the picture of German musical life in the 17th century. Rich vocal and instrumental sonorities for two voices, two violins and continuo in „Iß dein Brot mit Freuden“ from Schütz and Buxtehude‘s „Fürchtet euch nicht!“ round out the program.

Performers: Joel Frederiksen — bass, archlute, musical direction / Julla von Landsberg — soprano / Theona Gubba Chkheidze — violin / Emily Deans — violin / Axel Wolf — theorbo / Michael Eberth — organ / Domen Marinčič — viola da gamba, violone