Basler Madrigalisten:Naef - TE DEUM MOTETS

Carl Heinrich Graun, who was King Frederick II's opera conductor and court composer from 1740 until his death in 1759, proves to be a master composer of his time not only in his Christmas Oratorio, but also on this new release of his 'Te Deum'. The effective alternation between choral parts of big sound and intimate arias produces a colourful and varied musical interplay and an intensity that stirs the emotions. The choir begins the work with the festive 'Te Deum laudamus', and Graun on the whole assigns a pre-eminent role to the choir in this work. The soloists Monika Mauch, Elisabeth von Magnus, Bernhard Gaertner, and Klaus Mertens, alongside the members of L'arpa festante who perform on historical instruments, and the Basel Madrigalists under the conductor Felix Naef interpret all these works with a fine touch.