Vespro della Beata Maria Vergine

Description

In 1655, Rosenmüller, who had a great future ahead of him, was forced to leave Leipzig abruptly to escape justice. During the nearly 25 years he spent in exile in Venice as an instrumentalist and choir director, he brought back religious works blending Venetian style and German taste, including those making up the Vespers recorded here. It is an understatement to say that the forces assembled by Jörg Breiding give them a magnificent reading! It is well known that the Knabenchor Hannover, under the former direction of Heinz Hennig, achieved an exceptional level: flexibility, accuracy, razor-sharp articulation — and that is confirmed here, with a few astonishing arrows shot along the way (“in medio inimicorum” from Dixit Dominus, “non confondetur” from Nisi Dominus...). The 8 soloists perform at the same level, with taut lines and complementary colors, supported by a small instrumental ensemble enhanced by a few brass instruments: all are astonishingly accurate. Breiding’s conducting aims to avoid any superfluous effect and achieves from everyone a blend of gravity, fervor, and humility that makes these two hours of music pass like a breath. To top it all off, the sound recording is remarkable for its naturalness and precision: not to be missed! (Olivier Eterradossi)