Wolf: 4 Christmas Cantatas

Featuring

Michael Alexander Willens
Georg Poplutz
Matthias Vieweg
Beate Mordal
Elvira Bill
Andrey Akhmetov

Kölner Akademie
Ernst Wilhelm Wolf

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Historical Context

In 18th-century Central Germany, "finely endowed" church music was a common tradition, enhancing religious services with cantatas for God's praise and the spiritual edification of the congregation.

Composer Biography

Ernst Wilhelm Wolf, the composer, showed great musical talent early on and became a choir prefect in secondary school, despite his father's wish for him to learn a trade.

Composer Biography

Wolf was hired by Duchess Anna Amalia, an avid musician and patron of the arts, as a piano teacher and eventually became court chapel master in Weimar, shaping its music life for over three decades.

Composition History

The cantata "Willkommen, du schönster der Tage" was originally an occasional composition from spring 1783, written to honor the newborn Hereditary Prince Carl Friedrich, with texts by Wieland and Herder.

Composer Biography

Wolf remained loyal to the Weimar court and Duchess Anna Amalia throughout his life, even turning down an offer from King Frederick II and the opportunity to succeed Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach in Hamburg.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Wolf was influenced by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Carl Heinrich Graun but sought originality after Goethe's arrival in Weimar, stating, "you too must also seek to be original."

Composition History

The cantata "Willkommen, du schönster der Tage" was later adapted into a Christmas cantata, with a neutral second text or a Christmas text replacing the original dedication to the newborn prince.