Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes
Magnificat

Long out of print, now finally available again: world premiere recordings of the Magnificat as well as the festive music Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes by C. P. E. Bach. A rousing and convincing interpretation by the Basel Madrigalists, L'arpa festante and renowned soloists under the direction of Fritz Näf.

Throughout his life, C. P. E. Bach esteemed his Magnificat as one of his most important works. Here it is presented in the rarely heard early Leipzig version from 1749, with which the son wanted to recommend himself as a potential successor to his father in the office of Kantor at St. Thomas's Church. It fulfils all the criteria that the aesthetics of the time demanded of a large-scale sacred composition: grandeur, dignity, polyphonic and concertante choral movements, sensitive and pathetic arias, and a grand concluding double fugue. The festive music Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, on the other hand, was written during Bach's later period as music director in Hamburg.

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Recorded at the Reformierte Kirche Arlesheim, 9-11 January 2008.