Opella Musica, the vocal ensemble on this recording, takes its name from two vocal music collections by composer Johann Herrmann Schein, with 'Opella' meaning 'small endeavour'.
Compositional Technique
Johann Kuhnau's works, composed between the 1680s and 1710s, show a wide stylistic range, from 17th-century sacred arias to church cantatas in the Neumeister manner.
Instruments
The Silbermann organ was inspected and approved on November 8, 1721, by Johann Kuhnau, the cantor at the Thomaskirche, and Gottfried Ernst Pestel, the Altenburg court organist.
Cultural Impact
Johann Kuhnau, a composer, was often underestimated and known primarily as Johann Sebastian Bach's predecessor.
Instruments
The organ used for this recording is a Gottfried Silbermann organ, built in 1721 for St. George's Church in Rötha, Germany.
Composition History
The complete recording project is planned to finish in 2022, marking the 300th anniversary of Johann Kuhnau's death.
Recording & Production
This album is part of the first complete recording of Johann Kuhnau's surviving vocal works, aiming to rescue his music from obscurity.
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