About the album
Austrian Baroque music takes centre stage in the repertoire of this unusual Baroque ensemble. The music performed at the imperial court in Vienna at this time was initially heavily influenced by the music of Italy, later by that of France; Spanish court ceremonial also had important artistic effects in Vienna. The typical Austrian sound of this era was characterised by the impact of its many royal domains. The political and societal boundaries of Baroque Austria stretched much further than nowadays. Elements of Slavic, Hungarian and Alpine folk music styles had lasting effects on art music, making up its specific sound. The title “Sonatae tam aris quam aulis servientes” suggests that these works can be used for both sacred and secular purposes. They represent the first of several collections of pieces for polyphonic instrumental ensembles (published in 1676, 1680 and 1682) in which Biber demonstrated his mastery in handling the most important forms of instrumental music of his time.
Oostenrijkse barok
De Oostenrijkse barokmuziek staat centraal in het repertoire van dit buitengewone barokensemble Ars Antiqua Austria. De muziek die uitgevoerd werd aan het keizerlijk hof in Wenen in deze tijd werd aanvankelijk sterk beïnvloed door Italiaanse muziek, maar later ook door Franse en Spaanse en er zijn zelfs elementen uit Slavische, Hongaarse en Alpine volksmuziek terug te horen. Met andere woorden: het karakteristieke geluid van de Oostenrijkse barokmuziek is eigenlijk een mix van veel buitenlandse invloeden.
Op dit album wordt een collectie van werken van Heinrich Biber ten gehore gebracht. Biber was een van de belangrijkste componisten van de tweede helft van 17e eeuw en zijn sonates behoren tot de meest invloedrijke composities van de vroege barok. De titel Sonate tam aris quam aulis servientis suggereert dat deze werken zowel voor kerkelijke als seculiere doeleinden gebruikt kon worden. Zij representeren de eerste collectie van vele waarin Biber in meerstemmige, instrumentale stukken zijn ware muzikaliteit en meesterlijkheid toont.
Ars Antiqua Austria werd in 1989 opgericht door de Oostenrijkse violist Letzbor, met als doel het publiek te laten kennismaken met de Oostenrijkse barokmuziek. Dankzij zijn onderzoeken en inspanningen zijn tientallen composities voor het eerst in de moderne tijd uitgevoerd. Ars Antiqua Austria speelt op authentieke instrumenten en geldt als een hoogstaand ensemble in de wereld van de oude muziek. De bezetting van het gezelschap varieert, afhankelijk van het repertoire.
Die Sonatae tam quam aulis servientes stehen am Anfang einer Reihe von Sammlungen mit Musik für Instrumentalensembles, in denen Biber zeigt, wie meisterlich er die Kunst der gängigen Formen seiner Zeit beherrscht. Zwar sind während des Zweiten Weltkrieges nahezu alle Stimmhefte verloren gegangen, doch glücklicherweise ist wie durch eine Vorsehung um 1900 eine Partitur erschienen, die diese prächtige Musik in ihrer originalen Gestalt festgehalten und auch für uns heute noch erlebbar machen.
Mit dem Ensemble Ars Antiqua Austria haben die Sonaten den perfekten Interpreten gefunden, denn österreichische Barockmusik steht für dieses ungewöhnliche Ensemble im Mittelpunkt. Gestützt durch Jahre der Recherche einer Musik, die von vielerlei Einflüssen aus dem Slawischen und Ungarischen wie auch aus Italien und Frankreich gezeichnet ist, verleihen die Musiker den Sonaten einen ganz individuellen, österreichischen Klang, in dem sich die Lebenslust des Südländers, die Melancholie der Slawen, das Hofzeremoniell der Spanier und das original Alpenländische mit tänzerischer Note vereinen.
Dopo Fidicinium Sacro-Profanum, Gunar Letzbor e il suo Musica Antiqua Austria tornano a H.I.F. Biber con un’altra grande raccolta del maestro salisburgese: le Sonatae Tam Aris Quam Aulis Servientes, che in dodici sonate presentano un’ampia e diversificata gamma di parti e strumenti.
La musica barocca austrica occupa un posto centrale nel reperorio di questo originale ensemble. A quel tempo la musica eseguita alla corte imperiale di Vienna fu inizialmente fortemente influenzata dallo stile italiano, in seguito da quello francese; anche il cerimoniale di corte spagnolo ebbe importanti effetti artistici a Vienna. Ma la tipica sonorità austriaca di quest’epoca era caratterizzata dall’impatto dei molti possedimenti imperiali – i confini politici e sociali dell’Austria barocca erano molto più estesi di quelli odierni. Elementi stilistici della musica popolare slava, ungherese e alpina ebbero effetti duraturi sulla musica d’arte, producendo la sua tipica sonorità.
Il titolo “Sonatae tam aris quam aulis servientes” indica che queste opere potevano avere un duplice scopo, sacro e profano. Essa rappresenta la prima di diverse raccolte di brani polifonici destinati ad ensembles strumentali (publicati nel 1676, 1680 e 1682) in cui Biber dimostra il suo magistero nel trattamento delle più importanti forme della musica strumentale del suo tempo.
Artist(s)
Austrian Baroque music takes centre stage in the repertoire of this unusual Baroque ensemble. The music performed at the imperial court in Vienna at this time was initially heavily influenced by the music of Italy, later by that of France; Spanish court ceremonial also had important artistic effects in Vienna. The typical Austrian sound of this era was characterised by the impact of its many royal domains. The political and societal boundaries of Baroque Austria stretched much further than nowadays. Elements of Slavic, Hungarian and Alpine folk music styles had lasting effects on art music, making up its specific sound. But the Austrian sound also reflects the temperament and the character of the people of the time: placed within the melting pot of many diverse cultures, amalgamating Mediterranean zest for life, Slavic melancholy, French formalism, Spanish royal ceremony and the original Alpine elements of the German-speaking region. This mixture of court music and folk music with a dance-like character outlines the typically Austrian sound.
Alongside many concert performances, the early years of the ensemble Ars Antiqua Austria were dedicated to musicological research of Austrian Baroque composers. The abundance of rediscovered works led to several successful premiere recordings: albums featuring the works of R. Weichlein, H.I.F. Biber, F. Conti, G.B. Viviani, G.A.P. Mealli, G. Arnold, A. Caldara, B.A. Aufschnaiter, J.J. Vilsmayr, J.P. Vejvanovsky, J. Schmelzer, G. Muffat, W.L. Radolt, C. Mouthon, J.B. Hochreither, F.J. Aumann and J.S. Bach were met with enthusiastic approbation from the international music press.
Ars Antiqua Austria have been designing their own concert series at the Vienna Konzerthaus since 2002, and at the Brucknerhaus Linz since 2008. The ensemble is leading a cycle of performances arranged over several years entitled “Klang der Kulturen – Kultur des Klanges” (“Sound of the Cultures – Culture of Sound”), consisting of ninety concerts set to be performed in Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Bratislava, Krakow, Venice, Ljubljana, Mechelen and Lübeck.
Recent performances include concerts at the Festival de Musique Ancienne de Ribeauvillé, Berliner Tage für Alte Musik, Festival Printemps des Arts de Nantes, Mozartfest Würzburg (an opera production), Tage Alter Musik Herne, Festival de Musique de Clisson et de Loire Atlantique, Folles Journées de Nantes and Tokyo, Musée d’Unterlinden Colmar, Printemps Baroque du Sablon, Festival van Vlaanderen, Festival Bach de Lausanne, MAfestival Brugge, Bologna Festival, Vendsyssel Festival, Concerti della Normale di Pisa, Resonanzen Wien, Klangbogen Wien, Monteverdi Festival Cremona, Bayerische Staatsoper and the Salzburger Festspiele. The ensemble has also been welcomed in the USA and in Japan.
The CD recording with mezzo-soprano Bernarda Fink (four cantatas by Francesco Conti) was awarded a Diapason d’or only one week after being issued. Gunar Letzbor and his ensemble Ars Antiqua Austria were presented with the Cannes Classical Award 2002 for their recording of the Capricci Armonici by G.B. Viviani.
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