Georg Poplutz - Complete Cantatas for Tenor & Bass : Florian Heyerick / Kirchheimer Bach Consort - Import CD

Credits:

Georg Poplutz

Description:

Graupner, whose works CPO is currently focusing on promoting, was a contemporary of Bach, Handel, and Telemann. During his lifetime, he enjoyed popularity rivaling theirs, and his surviving works alone number over 2,000. Although long forgotten, the rise of early music performance in the latter half of the 20th century has led to the discovery and recording of his works, resulting in a remarkable reappraisal of his legacy. Born in 1683 in Kirchberg, on the outskirts of Saxony, Graupner studied law at the University of Leipzig and subsequently studied under Johann Kuna, who was then cantor at St. Thomas Church in the same city. In 1705, he moved to Hamburg and became a harpsichordist in the orchestra of the Hamburg Opera, conducted by Reinhard Keiser, who was renowned as the greatest opera composer in Germany at the time. He established his reputation as an opera composer by collaborating with Keiser on operas. In 1709, he secured a key position in the court orchestra of the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, eventually becoming court Kapellmeister, with his main duties being the composition and performance of church cantatas for the court chapel. During his career as a composer of church music, which spanned approximately 45 years, Graupner left behind well over 1,000 church cantatas, in which he experimented with various compositional techniques and, at times, produced innovative works. This CD features a complete collection of his church cantatas for two singers—a tenor and a bass. While using a limited sonic palette—two male voices accompanied by strings and basso continuo (with a pair of oboes or a pair of recorders added in some pieces)—Graupner’s masterful techniques are on full display, including the contrast between solo and ensemble singing, the expression of delicate instrumental colors, and an interpretation that closely follows the text. Florian Heyerich is active as a flutist, harpsichordist, and conductor, while also making significant contributions as a musicologist. He is a leading authority on Graupner, having participated in the compilation of a complete catalog of his works. He has already released eight albums of Graupner’s works on the cpo label. Tenor Poplutz specializes in lieder and sacred music with his delicate voice and high expressiveness, and is highly regarded for his performances of Baroque works, such as the role of Evangelist in Bach’s Passions. Bass Werner is a leading authority on Baroque music. He is well known in Japan for his participation in the Bach Collegium Japan. Werner founded the Kirchheimer Bachconsort, and for this recording, they performed with an extremely small ensemble consisting of one player each for the five string parts, two players alternating between oboe and recorder, plus harpsichord, organ, and bassoon. Japanese musicians such as Marina Kadono (violin), Shuko Sugama (violone), and Miho Fukui (bassoon). Cover painting: Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, 1591–1666): “The Penitent Mary Magdalene” (1623) Naxos Japan