{"product_id":"luthers-bach-ensemble_membra-jesu-nostri_2022","title":"Membra Jesu Nostri","description":"An exciting young Dutch early music collective takes on a 17th-century masterpiece dedicated to Lenten devotion. Membra Jesu nostri consists of seven cantatas that graphically depict the suffering of Christ and the various parts of his tormented body. The surprising beauty and integrity of the cycle as a whole lie in its combination of strict North German Protestant style with that of the Italian school, the symbiosis of mystical explosions and dancing, transparent, and almost ethereal textures. The Luthers Bach Ensemble, based in Groningen, recorded it in the spring of 2021, at the height of the pandemic, during which they played as active a role as possible in the city's cultural scene with concerts and socially distanced musical creations. Founded in 2006, the LBE can draw on a group of highly experienced early music specialists in both voice and instruments, as well as the longest history in the Netherlands of historically informed performance practice. The stylistic pedigree of this new recording of Membra Jesu nostri places it alongside the great recordings of the cycle over the past half-century. A beautiful balance is found between the solemn piety of the cycle's text and the soothing pathos of its expression, with its many striking contrasts of solo and large-scale textures, passionate outbursts, and thoughtful melismas. The booklet includes an introduction to the work as well as the full sung text and translation. The founding director of the ensemble is Tymen Jan Bronda, who has been the cantor-organist of the Lutheran church ensemble in Groningen since 2001. The artistic advisor and continuo player on this album is the renowned Dutch harpsichordist Robert Koolstra, and the ensemble is conducted by Cecilia Bernadini (daughter of the oboist Alfredo Bernadini), who has also been directing the Dunedin Consort since 2012.","brand":"Luthers Bach Ensemble","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58391177429336,"sku":null,"price":23951421.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0898\/4943\/0360\/files\/5028421965925.jpg?v=1788475302","url":"https:\/\/vinyles.com\/en-us\/products\/luthers-bach-ensemble_membra-jesu-nostri_2022","provider":"Vinyles.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}