Graupner occasionally limited his cantata settings to one or two vocal parts, rather than the customary four-voice writing, adapting to the intimate setting of the Darmstadt palace chapel and available musicians.
Recording & Production
This album features four of Graupner's cantatas, two from 1712 and two from 1720, representing different creative phases, each preceded by instrumental movements from his diverse ensemble works.
Composer Biography
Christoph Graupner, the composer, was initially an opera harpsichordist and composer in Hamburg before being recruited by Ernst Ludwig, Landgrave of Hessen-Darmstadt.
Historical Context
Ernst Ludwig, Landgrave of Hessen-Darmstadt, defied the general ecclesiastical prohibition of women in musical performances by attracting two excellent female singers from the Hamburg opera house to his court.
Performer Biography
Miriam Feuersinger, the soprano on this recording and an Echo Klassik award winner, has a great fondness for the cantatas and passions of J.S. Bach and initiated her own concert series 'Bach cantatas in the Vorarlberg'.
Composition History
Graupner's extensive output of over 1,400 cantatas and other sacred works for Darmstadt was largely due to the Landgrave's decision to refuse his release to become Thomaskantor in Leipzig, a position Johann Sebastian Bach subsequently filled.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The cantata texts for Graupner's works were often provided by court librarian Georg Christian Lehms, who believed music could vividly represent a moving and passionate sacred text to inspire religious immersion.
