This live recording is part of a cycle of oratorios, masses and other grand works, performed in the basilica of Maulbronn Abbey under the direction of Jürgen Budday. The series combines authentically performed oratorios and masses with the optimal acoustics and atmosphere of this unique monastic church. This ideal location demands the transparency of playing and the interpretive unveiling of the rhetoric intimations of the composition, which is especially aided by the historically informed performance. The music is exclusively performed on reconstructed historical instruments, which are tuned to the pitch customary in the composer's lifetimes (this performance is tuned in a' = 415 Hz).

In the Year of J.S. Bach 1950 (200th anniversary of the death of Johann Sebastian Bach) I first performed the cantata "Vom Reiche Gottes" in Stuttgart and Reutlingen, which is a feature-length compilation of cantatas emerging from the desire to keep unique, significant parts of the Bach cantatas having - out of several reasons - never been performed and were therefore nearly unknown, from neglect and to (re-)open them for the public.
At first, I stumbled upon these pieces more or less accidentally, but gradually I started to continue my search systematically.
Over the years, I gathered about 50 single arias, choirs and chorals out of 25 different cantatas. I always tried to juxtapose these single movements to intact cantatas, but they never merged to a homogenous whole. Thereby, the thought of combining these separate parts to a larger oeuvre came up soon. In doing so, it was understood that in this new compilation the single parts had to be utilized note for note completely true to original without the slightest change, in original text lacking any reversification. A single exception of this principle was necessary in recitative no.15 "Wie nun? Der Allerhöchste spricht", where the first bar had to be changed due to tying it to the preceding part.
Foremost it had to be checked whether a textual coherence with clear development could be found, as I mustn't haphazardly string together individual musical pieces. Prof. Köberle (University of Tübingen) and Rev. Rudolf Daur (Stuttgart) have always been helpful with these textual questions, wherefore I want to thank them at this point once again.
I often was tempted to use single parts of well-known and frequently performed cantatas. But I abandoned this option due to the fact that I wanted to keep the complete works of Bach in its totality untouched under all circumstances. Therefore, I would exceedingly deplore if the work presented here would abet the random selection of particularly known parts out of cantatas otherwise complete.
After the first performance in the Markuskirche Stuttgart at the "Württembergisches Bachfest" Friday 21th of July 1950 wrote f. ex. the "Allgemeine Zeitung": "It is no random string of fragments, but an entity of persuading closeness.The 23 choirs, chorals, recitatives, ariosi and arias had been so cautiously compiled in many years (and without touching the score) that an inner line is perceptible: the relation from man to god, from the reflective contemplation of the first part to the choirs of jubilance praising the glory of the Creator of all things." Albert Schweitzer as well commented on the cantata "Vom Reiche Gottes" very pleased. He wrote after his examination of the piano score that had been sent to him personally: "Dear Mr. Grischkat! Your letter containing the piano score of the cantata "Vom Reiche Gottes" with a dear dedication lies in front of me. My poor injured hand doesn't allow me to write as I want to. But you shall receive compliment and gratitude by me. And the Great Cantata is beautifully compiled. A wonderful oeuvre. And that you added the figures in the score is nice. Cordially yours, Albert Schweitzer."
A possibility for amplification shall be indicated here. After the introductive choir "Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal in das Reich Gottes eingehen", the associated and in its textual worthy, lovely ancient aria "Unerforschlich ist die Weise, wie der Herr die Seinen führt" from cantata no.188 "Ich habe meine Zuversicht" could be added.*...

Hans Grischkat

*Jürgen Budday choosed to make use of this possibility in the performance at hand.

The Performers

Heike Heilmann ~ Soprano
The German soprano, born in Wangen/Allgäu (Germany), has obtained many of the First and Second Prizes at the federal competition "Jugend musiziert." After graduation, she studied singing at the Staatlichen Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg/Breisgau, among other, with Professor Markus Goritzki. She then began graduate studies with focus on Lied / Oratorio with Professor Heidrun Kordes at the Hochschule für Darstellende Kunst und Musik in Frankfurt/Main. She was also a member of the opera class. In addition to her solo career Heike Heilmann is also a member in professional ensembles, such as the Balthasar-Neumann-Chor under the direction of Thomas Hengelbrock.

Franz Vitzthum ~ Altus, Countertenor
Born in upper Bavaria, he began singing with the Regensburg Cathedral Choir (Regensburger Domspatzen). At the Cologne University of Music, he studied singing with Kai Wessel, receiving his degree in 2007. While there, he already won numerous prizes and earned scholarships. The critics praise Franz Vitzthum's counter-tenor voice for its precision in intonation and flexibility. It effortlessly reaches up into the mezzo range, and delights with an extraordinary beauty. He has been invited to give recitals at the Rheingau Musik Festival, at the Handel Festivals in Halle, Karlsruhe and Göttingen, at La Folle Journée de Nantes, and at the Bach Festival of Philadelphia. He has worked with the conductors Nicolas McGegan, Andrew Parrot, Hermann Max, Peter Neumann, and Christoph Poppen, among others. He has also taken part in various operas and oratorio productions, for example, in Scherz, Satire, Ironie und tiefere Bedeutung (Glanert), Jephtha and Solomon (Handel), Orfeo (Gluck), Orlando generoso (Steffani), and most recently in Spartaco (Porsile) at Winter in Schwetzingen. Chamber music is also one of Franz Vitzthum's passions. He regularly gives concerts with the lutist Julian Behr and the Ensemble Capricornus from Basel, as well as with his own vocal ensemble Stimmwerck, which he founded. This many-faceted activity is reflected in his continually expanding discography. Following his debut solo-CD "Ich will in Frieden fahren” with the viol consort Les Escapades, Franz Vitzthum released a further solo-CD of Baroque sacred vocal music for Christophorus, early in 2012.

Falko Hönisch ~ Bass
The German baritone studied voice at the Musikhochschule in Stuttgart under the guidance of Julia Hamari and Art Song interpretation under Konrad Richter. While a student, he debuted at the Wilhelma Theater in Stuttgart in the title role of Mozart's Don Giovanni. Prior to this, Mr. Hönisch studied in Karlsruhe and Lübeck, taking voice lessons from Roland Hermann and Franz-Josef Einhaus, in addition to conducting lessons and piano with Kaya Han. He has received further instruction in several master classes by such renowned singers and pianists as Gundula Janowitz, Brigitte Fassbaender, Catarina Ligendza, Edith Wiens, Francisco Araiza, Helmut Deutsch, Julius Drake, Malcom Martineau, Tom Krause, Rudolf Piernay, Wolfgang Schöne, Charles Spencer, Bernd Weikl and many other renowned artists. The 2011-2012 marked two significant debuts for Mr. Hönisch: in November, he performed in the world premier of Auerbach's Gogol at the Theater an der Wien, and made his debut at Amsterdam's prestigious Concertgebouw. During the 2010-2011 season baritone Falko Hönisch performed Bach's St. John's Passion in a staged production signed by Dale Duesing at the Reisopera in The Netherlands. In July 2010 he sang Hans Castorp, the leading role in the World Première of Gregory Vajdas' opera Der Zauberberg under the auspices of the Young Artists Music Festival in Davos, Switzerland. Falko Hönisch was member of the soloists ensemble at various theaters in Germany, where he sang many of the leading roles of his repertoire, including Count Almaviva in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, Papageno and Sprecher in Die Zauberflöte, Gabriel von Eisenstein in Strauss' Die Fledermaus, Graf Eberbach in Lortzing's Der Wildschütz and Wolfram von Eschenbach in Wagner's Tannhäuser. The latter role marked his Italian debut at the Giuseppe Verdi Theater in Trieste during the 2009-2010 season. He has sung under the baton of numerous conductors including Frieder Bernius, Gregor Bühl, John Fiore, Siegfried Köhler, Cornelius Meister, Roberto Paternostro and Helmuth Rilling and with such orchestras as the Radio Orchestra of Munich, the Aalborg Symphoniorkester, the Symphony Orchestras of Düsseldorf and Bochum, the State Orchestra of Kassel, the Staatskapelle of Baden, the "Het Bravants" Orchestra in The Netherlands, the Limburg Symphony Orchestra, the Cologne Sinfonietta and the Bach Collegium Stuttgart. His repertoire includes the Bach's Passions, Haydn's Die Schöpfung (The Creation), and Brahms' German Requiem amongst many other titles. Mr. Hönisch has received numerous awards: he was a prize winner of the 2010 Lauritz Melchior International Singing Competition for Wagnerian voices; 2nd prize winner at the 2010 Mendelssohn Competition in Frankfurt; received the Audience Prize at the 6th International Wagnerian voices Competition in Karlsruhe; the 3rd prize and several special prizes at the 58th International ARD Competition in Munich (including the Audience Prize, the Prize for the Best Interpretation of the Mandatory Contemporary Composition and the Charlotte Hamel-Foundation Prize); in February 2009 he won the 1st prize at the Richard Strauss Competition in Munich, receiving the Richard Strauss Gold Medal during the Richard Strauss Festival in June 2009; at the 45th International Vocal Competition in 's-Hertogenbosch in 2008, he was awarded the Lied Prize; that same year he won a prize at the Robert Schumann Competition; he was also a prize winner at the 2007 Anneliese Rothenberger Competition. Mr. Hönisch has been the recipient of a grant from the Richard Wagner Association.

Maulbronn Chamber Choir
The Maulbronn Chamber Choir (German: Maulbronner Kammerchor) was founded in 1983 and counts today as one of the renowned chamber choirs in Europe. Awards like the first places at the Baden-Württemberg Choir Competitions in 1989 and 1997, the second place at the German Choir Competition in 1990, the first prize at the German Choir Competition in 1998, the second place at the International Chamber Choir Competition in Marktoberdorf 2009 and the first place at the Malta Choir Competition show the extraordinary musical calibre of this ensemble. The Chamber Choir has managed to make quite a name for itself on the international scene, too. It was received enthusiastically by audiences and reviewers alike during its debut tour through the USA in 1983, with concerts in New York, Indianapolis and elsewhere. Its concert tours in many European countries, in Israel and Argentina as well as in South Africa and Namibia have also met with a similar response. Since 1997 the choir performs oratorios by George Frideric Handel each year. All these performances were documented on disc; because of that the Maulbronn Chamber Choir holds a leading position as a interpreter of this genre internationally.

Il Capriccio ~ Baroque Orchestra
Founded in 1999, it evolved into a personally, stylistically and musically very individual ensemble. Its members, meeting up from all over middle Europe for mutual working sessions are outstanding musicians of international ensembles and professional orchestras or teachers at a conservatory. All musicians of Il Capriccio have intensively occupied themselves since their studies with historically informed performance. The usage of original instruments only constitutes the sounding foundation for an extremely meaningful and vivid way of musical interacting on stage. Il Capriccio gives concerts in variable instrumentation from the size of a baroque orchestra to the classical string quartet consisting of the principals of the ensemble. The solo part for violin plays the art director Friedemann Wezel. Additionally, Il Capriccio cooperates with important artists such as Sergio Azzolini (bassoon) or Markus Brönnimann (flute). A further and exceptional obligation considering the educational support of young artists was accepted by the 2004 founding of the "Il Capriccio Strings Academy".

Jürgen Budday ~ Conductor & Music Director
Prof. Jürgen Budday (born 1948) is conductor, director of church music, music teacher and artistic director of the concert series at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Maulbronn Abbey. He started teached at the Evangelical Seminar in Maulbronn from 1979 till 2012. This also involved his taking over as artistic director of the Maulbronn Monastery Concerts and the cantor choir in 1979. He studied church music and musicology at the Academy of Music in Stuttgart from 1967 to 1974. In 1992, he was named Director of Studies, in 1995 came the appointment as Director of Church Music and in 1998 he was honored with the "Bundesverdienstkreuz" (German Cross of Merit) as well as the Bruno-Frey Prize from the State Academy in Ochsenhausen for his work in music education. In 1983 Jürgen Budday founded the Maulbronn Chamber Choir (Maulbronner Kammerchor) with whom he won numerous national and international awards. At the Prague International Choir Festival, for example, Jürgen Budday received an award as best director. Since 2002, he has also held the chair of the Choral Committee of the German Music Council and became director and jury chairman of the "German Choir Competition" (Deutscher Chorwettbewerb). In 2008, he received the silver Johannes-Brenz-Medal, the highest honoring of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Wuerttemberg. Jürgen Budday was honoured in 2011 with the honorary title "Professor". In May 2013 Prof. Jürgen Budday was awarded by the Association of German Concert Choirs with the "George-Frideric-Handel-Ring" - one of the highest honors for choir conductors in Germany. Thus Jürgen Budday followed Helmuth Rilling, who was honored with the ring from 2009 till 2013.
Jürgen Budday has started a cycle of Handel oratorios that is planned to span several years, which involves working with soloists like wie Emma Kirkby, Miriam Allan, Michael Chance, Nancy Argenta, Mark Le Brocq, Charles Humphries, Stephen Varcoe (to name but a few). The live recordings of these performances, that have received the highest praise from reviewers, has won him international recognition. Till these days 11 oratorios by G.F.Handel are documented on discs.
"No conductor and no choir have so consistently recorded so many Handel oratorios as Jürgen Budday and his Maulbronn Chamber Choir." (Dr. Karl Georg Berg, Handel Memoranda Halle 2008).

Choir & Orchestra Members

Maulbronn Chamber Choir

Soprano:
Katrin Andraschko, Kathrin Brumm, Claudia Fischer, Judith Raith, Nicole Schuffert, Irene Vorreiter, Heike Wetzel, Katharina Bihlmaier, Dorothea Gölz-Most, Susanne Laenger, Monika Martin, Veronika Miehlich, Birgit Petkau, Sabine Stöffler

Alto:
Rebekka Eberhardt, Beata Fechau, Roswitha Fydrich-Steiner, Wiltrud Gonzalez, Marianne Kodweiß, Salome Martin, Susanne Müller, Margret Sanwald, Angelika Stoessel, Erika Budday, Christiane Gölz, Heilswint Hausmann, Marianne Krämer, Bettina van der Ham

Tenor:
Hartmut Meier, Sebastian Fuierer, Tobias Bastian, Konrad Mohl, Bernd Reichenecker, Ulrich Kiefner, Felix Schultz, Johannes Mayer

Bass:
Leonid Grau, Jo Dohse, Karl Bihlmaier, Frieder Weckermann, Sebastian Eberhardt, Hansjörg Lechler, Bernhard Fräulin, Daniel Fritsch





Ensemble il capriccio

Violin I: Friedemann Wezel, Marieke Bouche, Adam Lord, Johannes Platz
Violin II: Dietlind Mayer, Konstanze Winkelmann, Katka Stursova-Ozaki, Semadar Schidlowsky
Viola: David Dieterle, Jeannette Doree, Benjamin Herre
Cello: Juris Teichmanis, Celine Papion
Double Bass: Christian Bergmann-Flüel
Recorder/Flauto traverso: Heike Nicodemus, Martin Heidecker
Oboe: Gustav Friedrichssohn, Julia Bauer, Hanna Geisel
Bassoon: Barbara Meditz
Trumpet: Patrick Henrichs, Peter Hasel, Klaus Pfeiffer
Timpani: Ineke Busch
Zinc/Trombone: Rodrigo Calveyra, Max Eisenhut, Johanna Pschorr, Patrick Flassig
Chamber Organ: Evelyn Laib