It’s likely that all
the music included here was composed
by Buxtehude during his lengthy tenure
as organist of St. Marien in Lübeck
(1668-1707). As the title suggests,
the CD contains music primarily for
the seasons of Advent and Christmas.
There are some exceptions; the vivacious,
celebratory Alleluja with which
the programme concludes is taken from
an Easter cantata (which may not even
be by Buxtehude). Also, it’s not certain
from the notes whether the setting of
the Magnificat was made for Christmas
and, of course, the text of Cantate
Domino is likewise appropriate to
other times in the church’s year. However,
all three of these pieces would grace
any Christmas liturgy and the remainder
of the programme is very definitely
seasonal.
The pieces are compact,
as will be seen from the track timings.
The longest and most elaborate is the
Advent cantata, Ihr lieben Christen
freut euch nun. It is cast in eight
short sections and is richly, even extravagantly
laid out for vocal soloists, five part
choir and an orchestra that includes
three each of cornets and trombones
as well as timpani. There’s a good deal
of rejoicing in the music, not least
in the exuberant final chorus, and the
brass and drums are used to frequent
and splendid effect. Indeed so celebratory
is the piece that it seems more suited
to Christmas itself. I wonder if it
was written for the Third Sunday of
Advent when, customarily, the church
eases up a little in the penitential
observance of Advent? It’s extremely
well done here.
But that’s true of
the whole programme which is executed
with stylish finesse by Holger Speck
and his musicians. The choir, Vocalensemble
Rastatt, which Speck founded, is fairly
small, consisting of up to seven sopranos
and three each of alto (male), tenor
and bass. The soloists are drawn from
within the ranks of the choir and without
exception they do extremely well. According
to the notes the choir performs a wide
range of music, ranging from the baroque
to the twentieth century. The orchestra,
Les Favorites, on the other hand, is
a specialist baroque group, 18-strong,
which plays on period instruments. It
too was founded by Holger Speck. They
support the singers most effectively.
Throughout the disc
the rhythms are crisply articulated
by singers and players alike. The forces
are expertly balanced and diction and
tuning are excellent. In both Cantate
Domino and Das neugeborne
Kindelein the light flexible singing
is particularly admirable.
This is repertoire
which may not be familiar to collectors
other than specialists. However, it
is well worth investigating, especially
as the performances are so expert and,
frankly, so joyful. The recorded sound
is very good and Carus helpfully provide
the notes and texts in English, French
and German. This is a most enjoyable
CD which offers a welcome opportunity
to experience some less familiar music
for the Christmas season. Recommended.
John Quinn
Vocalensemble Rastatt; Les Favorites/Holger
Speck 
