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Sacri Concentus - Antiphone (1681)
Rupert Ignaz Mayr

Ars Antiqua Austria / Gunar Letzbor

Sacri Concentus - Antiphone (1681)

Price: € 20.95
Format: SACD
Label: Challenge Classics
UPC: 0608917282825
Catnr: CC 72828
Release date: 06 September 2019
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Label
Challenge Classics
UPC
0608917282825
Catalogue number
CC 72828
Release date
06 September 2019

"With Bert van der Wolf engineering the recording and Gunar Letzbor and his ensemble delivering the music performance, I'm simply prepared to come along wherever they've chosen to take me. They are guides to great musical experiences whom one can follow without hesitation."

Positive Feedback, 17-1-2022
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Artist(s)
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About the album

Following on from the highly expressive psalm settings, we now present the glorious antiphons of the master from Schärding am Inn: exquisite church music which Emperor Leopold I himself proclaimed as being definitive for the Catholic lands.

Originally, the antiphon denoted a Gregorian chant that was sung by two parties opposite each other. Often a single performer was answered by a group of singers. The antiphon would later disengage from the psalm on which it was commenting. The antiphons set by Mayr represent a special form of the genre, so-called Marian antiphons, almost all of which are addressed to the Mother of God. Only In terras descendam is intended for Christmas. The antiphonal practice is still apparent in all antiphons in the alternation between singers and instrumentalists.
Dit is het tweede album van Gunar Letzbor en Ars Antiqua met buitengewoon mooie, maar weinig bekende, geestelijke werken van de Oostenrijkse componist Rupert Ignaz Mayr. Na de psalm is nu de antifoon aan de beurt, een van de oudste onderdelen van de kerkdienst. Opnieuw verwennen Letzbor en zijn ensemble ons met juweeltjes uit de Barok.

Cruciaal voor de katholieke landen

Het album bevat exquisiete kerkmuziek waarvan keizer Leopold I in hoogst eigen persoon verkondigde dat deze cruciaal was voor de katholieke landen. Oorspronkelijk was de antifoon of wisselzang in de christelijke liturgie een éénstemmig Gregoriaans vers, dat tijdens de mis en het getijdengebed voor of na een psalm gezongen werd door twee partijen die tegenover elkaar stonden. Vaak kreeg een solist daarbij antwoord van een groep zangers. Was de antifoon in de vroege middeleeuwen nog aan een psalm gekoppeld, later zou deze daarvan los geraken en niet langer antifonisch te zijn opgebouwd, hoewel heden ten dage in het getijdengebed nog steeds antifonen aan psalmen worden toegevoegd.

Uitzondering

De antifonen van Mayr vertegenwoordigen een geheel eigen vorm van het genre, de zogenaamde Maria antifonen, bijna allemaal gericht aan de Moeder van God. Alleen het eerste werk op het album In terras descendam is bedoeld voor Kerstmis. De antifonische opbouw is bij alle antifonen nog aanwezig in de afwisseling tussen zangers en instrumentalisten.

Hervormer geestelijke muziek

Met zijn slimme combinatie van het grotendeels protestantse geestelijke concert uit het noorden en de geïmproviseerde concertante stijl uit Italië, wordt Rupert Ignaz Mayr (1646-1712) beschouwd als een hervormer van de geestelijke muziek van Katholiek Zuid-Duitsland. Gepaard gaand met echo’s van de Beierse volksmuziek vertoont Mayrs muziek zowel een typisch Oostenrijkse melange, als zijn persoonlijke schakeringen.

Ars Antiqua Austria

Ars Antiqua Austria werd in 1989 opgericht door Gunar Letzbor met als doel het publiek te laten kennismaken met de Oostenrijkse barokmuziek. Het ensemble staat bekend om zijn levendige en expressieve uitvoeringen. Het gezelschap speelt op authentieke instrumenten en geldt als een hoogstaand ensemble in de wereld van de oude muziek. Een van de vele reacties na een concert van Ars Antiqua Austria: "Dit ensemble is meer dan alleen maar een geheime tip voor de echte liefhebber van Barokmuziek."
Nach den höchst expressiven Psalmvertonungen präsentieren wir nun die herrlichen Antiphonen des Meisters aus Schärding am Inn: exquisite Kirchenmusik, die Kaiser Leopold I. selbst als definitiv für katholische Länder gepriesen hat.
Die Antiphon war ursprünglich ein gregorianischer Choral, der von zwei gegenüberstehenden Parteien gesungen wurde, wobei oft Phrasen eines einzelnen Musikers von denen einer Sängergruppe beantwortet wurden. Die Antiphon löste sich später von dem Psalm, den sie kommentierte. Die von Mayr vertonten Antiphonen repräsentieren eine besondere Form dieser Gattung. Er schreibt sogenannte Marien-Antiphonen, die fast ausschließlich an die Mutter Gottes gerichtet sind. Einzig In terras decendam ist für Weihnachten gedacht. Die antiphone Praxis ist durch Wechsel von Sängern und Instrumentalisten in all seinen Antiphonen noch präsent.

Artist(s)

Gunar Letzbor (violin)

Gunar Letzbor studied composition, conducting and violin at Linz, Salzburg and Cologne. His encounters with Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Reinhard Goebel ignited a deep passion for period instruments and performance practice, leading him to perform extensively with Musica Antiqua Köln, the Clemencic Consort, La Folia Salzburg, Armonico Tributo Basel and the Wiener Akademie.  Gunar Letzbor founded his own ensemble, Ars Antiqua Austria, an instrumental ensemble of varying size dedicated in particular to the exploration of the rich, but neglected, baroque repertoire of his native country and its neighbours. Corollaries of this voyage of re-discovery have been not only the unexpected finds of musical masterpieces otherwise destined to languish in obscurity, but also the articulation of a uniquely central-European instrumental sound and its...
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Gunar Letzbor studied composition, conducting and violin at Linz, Salzburg and Cologne. His encounters with Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Reinhard Goebel ignited a deep passion for period instruments and performance practice, leading him to perform extensively with Musica Antiqua Köln, the Clemencic Consort, La Folia Salzburg, Armonico Tributo Basel and the Wiener Akademie. Gunar Letzbor founded his own ensemble, Ars Antiqua Austria, an instrumental ensemble of varying size dedicated in particular to the exploration of the rich, but neglected, baroque repertoire of his native country and its neighbours. Corollaries of this voyage of re-discovery have been not only the unexpected finds of musical masterpieces otherwise destined to languish in obscurity, but also the articulation of a uniquely central-European instrumental sound and its often deeply spiritual inspiration. As a soloist and with Ars Antiqua Austria, Letzbor has made numerous recordings (including several world premieres), featuring works by Mozart, Bach, Biber, Muffat, Aufschnaiter, Viviani, Schmelzer, Weichlein, Vejvanovsky, Vilsmayr and Conti. Particulary remarkable was his world's premiere recording of Sonate for violin solo by J.J.Vilsmayr and J.P.Westhoff.

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Ars Antiqua Austria

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...
more
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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Composer(s)

Rupert Ignaz Mayr

Rupert Ignaz Mayr was born in Schärding am Inn (Upper Austria) in 1646 and died in Freising (Bavaria) on 7 February 1712. He probably received his first music lessons in Passau. A distinguished violinist, Mayr played at the episcopal chapel at Eichstätt in 1678; he had already performed under Kapellmeister Mazzuchini at the princearchbishop’s court in Freising in 1670. He worked both in Regensburg and in Passau. In 1683 he moved to Munich where he was engaged not only as “Primus Violinista Aulae et Camerae musicus”, but also as composer. On 26 July 1706 the prince-bishop Johann Franz Eckher von Kapfing und Liechteneck appointed Mayr as Kapellmeister at his court in Freising. Here, he was responsible not only for church music but...
more
Rupert Ignaz Mayr was born in Schärding am Inn (Upper Austria) in 1646 and died in Freising (Bavaria) on 7 February 1712. He probably received his first music lessons in Passau.
A distinguished violinist, Mayr played at the episcopal chapel at Eichstätt in 1678; he had already performed under Kapellmeister Mazzuchini at the princearchbishop’s court in Freising in 1670. He worked both in Regensburg and in Passau. In 1683 he moved to Munich where he was engaged not only as “Primus Violinista Aulae et Camerae musicus”, but also as composer.
On 26 July 1706 the prince-bishop Johann Franz Eckher von Kapfing und Liechteneck appointed Mayr as Kapellmeister at his court in Freising. Here, he was responsible not only for church music but also for chamber music. Works such as his violin sonatas, a series of school plays, as well as music for singers and instruments attest his prowess as a composer.
Mayr’s works were influenced by his study trip to Paris as well as the Italian musicians who dominated musical life at the Munich court. Paired with echoes of Bavarian folk music, Mayr’s music reveals both a typically Austrian blend as well as very personal hues.
At that time, Catholic church music was dominated by the “stile antico”. Mayr gently expands this ancient art by introducing the concerto form as well as monody. He elaborately weaves polyphonic textures, his monodies emerging highly expressive, melodious and also virtuosic. Mayr easily joins the ranks of his famous Austrian colleagues, matching the quality of a Johann Kaspar Kerll or the Austrian masters around Heinrich Franz Biber.
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Press

With Bert van der Wolf engineering the recording and Gunar Letzbor and his ensemble delivering the music performance, I'm simply prepared to come along wherever they've chosen to take me. They are guides to great musical experiences whom one can follow without hesitation.
Positive Feedback, 17-1-2022

These two CDs arouse curiosity about further pieces from Mayr's oeuvre.
Toccata, 23-12-2021

I would describe these performances as adequate...
American Record Guide, 01-4-2020

Great music!
Duitse krant, 20-12-2019

I am happy to have this record on my shelf, where it will stay unmolested like the last rose of summer until a visitor inquires about it, at which point I shall use it to demonstrate why Bach and Handel are so wonderful.
Fanfare, 03-12-2019

Together with Letzbor’s liner notes, describing in detail the four ‘Sacri Concentus – Antiphonae’, adding to the historical value of this album, I do think that, like its predecessor, this follow-on recording is a must for all lovers of the genre, and I’m convinced that it will equally please all those who appreciate state of the art playing.
HR audio, 16-10-2019

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Often bought together with..

Salvatore Lanzetti
Sonatas for Violoncello Solo and Basso Continuo Op. 1 - Vol. 1
Agnieszka Oszanca
Johann Sebastian Bach
Weihnachtsoratorium (reissue)
La Petite Bande / Sigiswald Kuijken
Rupert Ignaz Mayr
Psalms from Sacri Concentus 1681
Ars Antiqua Austria / Gunar Letzbor
Various composers
Roaring Twenties
Calefax / Cora Burggraaf
Josquin Desprez
Missa Ave maris stella
Cappella Pratensis / Stratton Bull

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