German Renaissance Songs of Lust & Life

The Ensemble Stimmwerck presents songs from every walk of German Renaissance life in its

new CD gyri gyri gaga. The title is taken from a cheeky "goose song" for the Feast of St. Martin,

in addition to which the most varied areas of life are described in two dozen songs: that is – vividly,

onomatopoeically – the convivial scenes in the tavern or – rather suggestively – while bathing, with

a country girl treading on "a thorn". Ridicule is heaped on every kind of fool in the world, and on

spouses, who are completely unsuitable. Naturally in such a selection there is no lack of love: here

the spectrum extends from lyrical amorous complaints, wonderfully sentimental love songs, the

adventures of unfaithful wives, of vicars and their cooks to strongly flagrant eroticism, which

completely lacks innuendo and "calls a spade a spade".

These adventures are expressed musically – entirely in the style of the time – in an artistic setting

for four voices, in which the four Stimmwerck members, Franz Vitzthum (countertenor), Klaus

Wenk and Gerhard Hölzle (tenor) and Marcus Schmidl (bass), are skilfully accompanied by the

lutenist Christoph Eglhuber