Böhm, G: Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ

On Vol. 8 of our Organ Works of the North German Baroque Friedhelm Flamme interprets Georg Böhm’s complete organ works on the Creutzburg organ in the Church of St. Cyriacus in Duderstadt. Böhm was an organist and composer, notable for his development of the chorale partita and for his influence on the young J.S Bach.

Our CD takes us on musical journey from the Baroque to the Romantic era. It is the sequel to our CD "Great Joy - Große Freude 1" (HAEN98444).

No other holiday is as closely bound up with music and song as Christmas. And the playing of the familiar holiday songs is also an age-old element of music for brass instruments, cultivated for centuries by the traditional small brass ensembles playing from German church towers. As Johann Kuhnau, Bach's immediate predecessor as organist and choirmaster at St. Thomas' church in Leipzig, wrote in 1700, "When our waits blow their trombones from the tower playing a sacred song at the holidays, we are incomparably moved, and could think we were hearing the singing of angels." Even today, brass music is still capable of touching us this deeply. That is why the joyous, regal sound of the brass insturments are an indispensable part of the musical sounds of the Christmas season.

The Schwerin Brass-Collegium: In 1975 nine musicians from Schwerin got together on the initiative of trumpeter Hans-Joachim Drechsler to form the Schwerin Blechbläser-Collegium. It was the first ensemble of its kind in Germany. The Schweriner Blechbläser-Collegium cultivates nearly all styles of music with a repertoire of more than 200 works by more than 100 composers from six centuries.

Spanning 4 CDs and presenting over three hours of absorbing listening, this charming release explores the musical output of Georg Böhm -- one of the most important German organists and composers around the turn of the 18th century, and who is considered to have had a major influence on the training of Johann Sebastian Bach.

The compilation focuses on the main nucleus of Böhm's output, his works for keyboard, and divides equally into those for harpsichord and/or organ. Of chief interest among the pieces for the former instrument are the 11 Suites, works that were probably written for domestic performance, and these are joined by a range of other genres also common to the period. From the French Overture style of the Prelude in F to the art of variation that is the Chaconne in G, Böhm's compositions abound in inventive detail, and we soon move onto the works for organ -- where the composer's most important contribution to North German keyboard music, that of the chorale partita, comes to the fore.

Performing all these works is Simone Stella, one of today's most celebrated early music specialists and whose discography already includes two recordings for Brilliant Classics (Buxtehude's Complete Organ Music 94422; Buxtehude's Complete Harpsichord Music 94312). The release offers a fascinating insight into what is perhaps a lesser-known facet of the Baroque repertoire, and is certain to delight keyboard music aficionados.

Recorded 22--24 September 2011, OnClassical Studio, Pove del Grappa (CDs 1 & 2); 11--14 May 2012, Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Abate, Padova (CDs 3 & 4).

Harpsichord:?after Johannes Ruckers, Antwerp 1638; organ:?Francesco Zanin 2006 (German Style).

Böhm developed the so-called "Chorale Partita", variations on the Lutheran chorale, in the form of a multi-movement partita. In this he was of great influence on the young Johann Sebastian Bach.

Simone Stella continues his survey of Pre-Bachian German keyboard works with the complete harpsichord and organ works of Georg Böhm (1661-1733). He is one of the leading harpsichordists and organists of Italy, his earlier issue of the complete keyboard works of Buxtehude received uniform praise in the international press: "Thoroughly imaginative and engaging" (Fanfare), "Gelungen und überzeugend" (Klassic.com)."

Includes extensive notes on the composer and the music (English and Italian).

Includes a biography of the artist.