Schmelzer: Sacro-profanus sonatas

Featuring

Olivier Fortin
Ensemble Masques
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer

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Composer Biography

Schmelzer died of the plague in Prague in early 1680, the same epidemic that had forced the Viennese court to flee two years prior.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, the Austrian Baroque composer, stated that his Sacro-profanus concentus musicus was compiled to serve both the veneration of saints and the honest pleasure of mankind.

Composition History

The Rost manuscript, a 17th-century collection of important instrumental compositions, contains many unique pieces by Schmelzer, including his earliest preserved work, Lamento sopra la morte Ferdinandi III.

Interpretation

Ensemble Masques, a group of instrumentalists specializing in Baroque music, performs as a chamber ensemble without a conductor, allowing each member to contribute actively to the musical result.

Composer Biography

Schmelzer enjoyed an international reputation in the 17th century as 'the most famous and almost the most distinguished violinist in all Europe'.

Composer Biography

Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, an Austrian Baroque composer, was the first Austrian Kapellmeister (music director) at the Viennese court after a long line of Italians.

Performer Biography

Olivier Fortin, the founder and artistic director of Ensemble Masques, won top prizes at the Montreal Bach Competition and the Bruges International Competition in 1997.