Pits

"Repertoire is a question of life." Eric Ericson, the Swedish choral legend, lived out this ever-applicable credo like no other and convincingly passed it on to his students (including the author of this text). In their search for exciting repertoire, choral conductors will find real treasure troves in the new collections presented here, with music from Luxembourg and France, as well as oratorio works by J. S. Bach.

The sacred vocal works of the Luxembourg composer Laurent Menager (1835-1902), who is relatively unknown in our part of the world, have been published in an exemplary edition by Verlag Merseburger as volume 3 of the large-scale Critical Complete Edition within the research project "Musique luxembourgeoise" at the University of Luxembourg.

Menager studied with Chopin and Mendelssohn's friend Ferdinand Hiller in Cologne in the mid-19th century. His church music is in the tradition of the German late Romantics and is characterized by a simple treatment of the text and a preference for homophonic-syllabic writing. The volume contains many beautiful-sounding, short and easy-to-perform German and Latin a cappella works (some also with organ accompaniment), which are ideal for the Catholic liturgy as hymns, Marian hymns and Tantum-ergo compositions.

In French choral musicpublished by Carus-Verlag, not only directors of Catholic choirs will find a stylistically wide-ranging sacred repertoire with some well-known works, but above all many worthwhile new discoveries and first editions. The works in Latin and French, many also with organ accompaniment, are for the most part not particularly difficult, mainly for four voices with additional small part divisions and can be used in both interdenominational and concert settings. The editor Denis Rouger, professor of choral conducting in Stuttgart, was able to draw on his many years of experience as conductor at the Parisian churches of Notre-Dame and La Madeleine for this loving compilation and complements the edition with a CD of selected works, beautifully sung by his chamber choir figure humaine.

In recent years, Breitkopf & Härtel's Urtext editions have provided an excellent treasure trove of oratorio repertoire: be it the new editions of "blockbusters" such as Handel's Messiah (highly recommended critical edition with many new perspectives, score PB 5560) or Mozart's Mass in C minor (sensitive reconstruction by Clemens Kemme, PB 5562), but also newly discovered works around Bach that would deserve more frequent performances.

Particularly noteworthy are the new publications by the Bohemian Baroque composer Jan Dismas Zelenka, who was highly esteemed by J. S. Bach. Both his Miserere C minor (ZWV 57, PB 5594), as well as his Missa votiva (ZWV 18, PB 5577) are masterpieces of his church music for the Dresden Hofkirche. They make do with an inexpensive orchestration (two oboes, strings and basso continuo) and yet are rich in form and color.

The works of Johann Kuhnau, Bach's direct predecessor at Leipzig's Thomaskirche, offer a truly rewarding rediscovery. His newly published Magnificat with Christmas interludes is a real enrichment for festive Christmas concerts with soloists, choir and orchestra (EB 32108).

Between Bach's Passions, their rediscovery and Carl Loewe's The atonement of the new covenant is the one-hour Passion oratorio, which is not too difficult to perform Gethsemane and Golgotha The textually vivid and palatable setting is reminiscent of Mendelssohn with its opulent choirs, contains only a few arias and involves the congregation with Passion chorales. An interesting enrichment for Passion concerts, but also ideally suited as Good Friday music in church services.

Laurent Menager: Sacred vocal works for mixed choir SATB, male choir TTBB, solo voices and duo, (=Critical Complete Edition Volume 3), edited by Alain Nitschké and Damien Sagrillo, score, EM 2600, € 140.00, Merseburger, Kassel 2018

French choral music, 45 sacred choruses and motets from the 15th-21st century, edited by Denis Rouger, choral director's volume with CD, CV 2.311, € 27.90, Carus, Stuttgart 2018

Johann Kuhnau: Magnificat in C major with interludes for performance at Christmas time, edited by David Erler , score, PB 32108, € 54.00, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 2018