Heinichen: 2 Passion Oratorios

Featuring

Michael Alexander Willens
Elena Harsányi
Elvira Bill
Mirko Ludwig
Andreas Wolf
Kölner Akademie

Johann David Heinichen

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Recording & Production

This recording is a co-production between cpo and Deutschlandfunk, recorded in Wuppertal, Immanuelskirche, in July 2010.

Compositional Technique

The artistic demands on the vocal soloists in these oratorios were considerable, with arias conforming to operatic standards and the overall structure mirroring music theatre paradigms.

Composer Biography

Johann David Heinichen, born in 1683 in Krössuln, Saxony, was raised Lutheran and studied with Johann Schelle and Johann Kuhnau before becoming a court musician.

Composition History

Heinichen's passion oratorios for the Dresden court demonstrate the cultural and confessional openness of the Saxon residence.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Heinichen's overabundant and multifaceted oeuvre includes Italian operas, vocal chamber music, Latin masses, Protestant church cantatas, sinfonias, and instrumental pieces for various occasions.

Historical Context

Heinichen was hired as Royal Polish and Electoral-Saxon Kapellmeister in Dresden after the Saxon Crown Prince Friedrich August, fascinated by his music, convinced his father.

Compositional Technique

Heinichen's Italian oratorios, like those on this album, were approximately 30 minutes long and served as substitutes for fully orchestrated passions, which had no place in Catholic Good Friday liturgy.