Simone Eckert, Hamburger Ratsmusik, Klaus Mertens - Krieger: Musicalischer Seelen-Friede (2018)

Johann Philipp Krieger numbers among the most important Baroque composers prior to Bach. Born in Nuremberg in 1649, he was active as a chapel master at the Weissenfels court from 1680 to 1725. During his tenure as music director Weissenfels became a leading contributor to early German Baroque opera. With his compositional oeuvre Krieger made important contributions to the development of the church cantata and instrumental music. Following the publication of his twelve Sonate a due Violini (and b. c.), we are now presenting the recording premiere of five of the total of twenty Sacred Concertos from his Musicalischer Seelen-Frieden, a work composed in 1690 and 1696 and presented in Weißenfels religious services. Krieger, a practicing musician with a practical mind, designed flexible parts for solo voice and two violins in this collection. He produces a close word-tone relation, and the alternations between concertizing and cantabile parts provide for vibrancy. It is especially in the 'I-related' texts that inserted recitatives and accompagnati generate special emphases.