SACDs - Muffat, Georg

In 1904 Karl Straube published his own edition of music by Bach, Walther, Pachelbel, Buxtehude and others and adapted them to the organ’s modern capabilities. Today, the edition offers an impressive glance at historical performance practice. Andreas Sieling gives us an authentic look at the interpretation of baroque organ music at the beginning of the 20th century.

The South German Organ Tradition was a considerable influence on Bach’s oeuvre. This recording portrays representative works of the South German composers Johann Jakob Froberger, Johann Caspar Kerll, Georg Muffat and Johann Pachelbel alongside compositions of Bach, thus outlining these interrelations. In addition, this SACD realises the historical performance practice of the Magnificat: works by Pachelbel and Bach are newly combined in a traditional performance of the Magnificat including sung and played verses, forming one musical unity.

Two different instruments with different tunings have been used for this recording: the two early works by Froberger and Kerll are performed on the historic choir organ by Blasius Bernauer (1776) in Laufenburg, Switzerland, and the remaining works are played on the new Metzler organ (2005) in Stuttgart- Obertürkheim.

“The notes, the strings, the sweet sounds of music give my life a sense of fulfilment, all the more because I mingle the French style with the German and Italian, without inciting a war; but rather holding up a mirror to the longed-for harmony and dear peace which these peoples so greatly desire.” Georg Muffat

“Trumpet Masque” sees renowned trumpeter Jonathan Freeman-Attwood explore his passion for expanding the instrument’s limited chamber repertoire by imaginatively arranging Baroque works previously scored for alternative forces.

In “Trumpet Masque”, Jonathan Freeman-Attwood and Daniel-Ben Pienaar take a radical new look at the 17th century with a compelling vision of repertoire historically far-removed from the traditional contexts of both trumpet and piano.

Through wonderfully vibrant programming and arrangements, this invigorating and warm-hearted chamber duo present music from Dowland to Purcell in an energetic, innovative and 21st century fashion.

The aim of this recording is to open our ears to a period of unequalled variety, colour, regional diversity and expressive freedom: the Venetian world of Gabrieli, the great pre-Bach North German lineage of Buxtehude, Jacobean dances and songs and the great G major sonata from Muffat’s ‘Armonico Tributo’ with its virtuoso and valedictory passacaglia, which appropriately ends the disc.