Christian Voß, Ensemble ContraPunct_us - Handel: 9 German Arias (2017)

Tracklist
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01. 9 German Arias: Künft'ger Zeiten eitler Kummer, HWV 202
02. 9 German Arias: Das zitternde Glänzen der spielenden Wellen, HWV 203
03. 9 German Arias: Süsser Blumen Ambraflocken, HWV 204
04. 9 German Arias: Süsse Stille, sanfter Quelle, HWV 205
05. 9 German Arias: Singe, Seele, Gott zum Preise, HWV 206
06. 9 German Arias: Meine Seele hort im Sehen, HWV 207
07. 9 German Arias: Die ihr aus dunkeln Gruften, HWV 208
08. 9 German Arias: In den angenehmen Buschen, HWV 209
09. 9 German Arias: Flammende Rose, Zierde der Erden, HWV 210
10. Balletto a 4 "Die Fechtschule": I. Aria I
11. Balletto a 4 "Die Fechtschule": II. Aria II
12. Balletto a 4 "Die Fechtschule": III. Sarabande
13. Balletto a 4 "Die Fechtschule": IV. Courante
14. Balletto a 4 "Die Fechtschule": V. Fechtschule
15. Balletto a 4 "Die Fechtschule": VI. Bader Aria
16. Der Liebe Macht herrscht Tag und Nacht
17. Ein Freund, ein Trunk, ein Lieb, ein Sprung
18. Wer freudig ist, auch gerne küsst
19. Wohl dem, der sich vergnügt


Georg Frederic Handel was a true cosmopolitan: in Italy, he gained a familiarity with opera; in London, he himself stood in the limelight. Texts in Handel's native language, in contrast, feature only very sparsely within his oeuvre. Among these, the Neun Deutsche Arien are his last settings of German texts. Handel did not specify the instrumentation for these pieces, allowing modern-day performers to forge musical partnerships at their leisure: the inspiring cooperation between the young countertenor Fritz Spengler and the Baroque ensemble Contrapunctus has resulted in an album that aims to underline the importance of the German aria in the Baroque age. Text and merge unite their forces in order to live up to the heritage of Baroque music, merging into an inseparable whole. The violinist Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (1620-1680) also enjoyed great fame during his lifetime. His Musikalische Fechtschule is included on this disc in a spirited, fresh adaptation by the performers. Following this purely instrumental work, listeners encounter another Baroque master: Adam Krieger (1634-1666) who is said to have been ''the master of the new German Lied before Franz Schubert''. Before the aria genre rose to fame, convivial singing enabled the expression of communal experience, and Krieger created colorful depictions of this spirit of the people in his vibrant songs based on his own texts.

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