Soloists; Goldberg Baroque Ensemble; Andrzej Szadejko - Johann Valentin Meder: Sacred Music (Musica Baltica 7)

Continuing MDG's pioneering 'Musica Baltica' series, this new SACD recording presents works by Johann Valentin Meder, who was Kapellmeister at St. Mary's church, Gdansk, until 1698, including motets with up to three choirs.It must have been spectacular when the Council was newlyelected in Gdansk - music was played on all organs in St.Mary's Church, and the responsible Kapellmeister had todeliver festive multi-choral works for the occasion. Andrzej Szadejko and his Goldberg Baroque Ensembleconvey a fascinating impression of this baroque practicein a splendid premiere recording of Meder's Sacred Music.Elsewhere, multi-choir singing had long since gone out offashion, but in Meder's music, this opulent and thereforeharmonically mostly simple movement style of earliertimes is combined with the highly topical concertantestyle of the Italian Baroque. Meder was always at the forefront of musical styles; one of the first operas in German language was written by him.This lavish production highlights the large, recently reconstructed late baroque Merten-Friese organ on the rood screen of Gdansk's Trinity Church which is also used for the three-choir motets. Together with kettledrums, trumpets and trombones, it completes the tonal triangle with the top-class vocal choirs on the right and left, using the full-sounding pedal work - an exciting sound celebration, which can of course be experienced most impressively in three-dimensional reproduction via MDG's 2+2+2 SACD superb recording technique.