In this second instalment of complete keyboard works, Benjamin Alard demonstrates with splendid eloquence how invaluable the young Bach’s north German experience proved to be; his attentive examination of the works of the great organ masters and his craving for all kinds of music significantly broadened the stylistic foundations of his keyboard writing. The wide range of works presented here, complemented by pieces by Buxtehude, Reinken and Pachelbel, illustrates in exemplary fashion the power of a master in the making.

The cornett was considered the instrument of kings and was one of the defining instruments until the 18th century, when it fell victim to the orchestral innovations of the classical period and went out of fashion. To this day, however, its sound continues to fascinate. To help listeners experience the magic of his instrument, William Dongois has teamed up with Le Concert Brisé to put together three sparkling programmes tracing the history of the zinc in the Baroque era, available together for the first time.

Olivier Vernet is a French organist, professor of organ at the National Regional Conservatory in Tours, Olivier VERNET leads an active concert career as organist and accompanying pianist for his sister, the soprano Isabelle VERNET. His impressive list of recordings has already received several distinctions including the Diapason d’Or, the “shock” of the Monde de la Musique, etc …

Olivier Vernet is a French organist, professor of organ at the National Regional Conservatory in Tours, Olivier VERNET leads an active concert career as organist and accompanying pianist for his sister, the soprano Isabelle VERNET. His impressive list of recordings has already received several distinctions including the Diapason d’Or, the “shock” of the Monde de la Musique, etc …

Olivier Vernet is a French organist, professor of organ at the National Regional Conservatory in Tours, Olivier VERNET leads an active concert career as organist and accompanying pianist for his sister, the soprano Isabelle VERNET. His impressive list of recordings has already received several distinctions including the Diapason d’Or, the “shock” of the Monde de la Musique, etc …

Olivier Vernet is organ professor at the Nice Conservatory and at the Academy of Music Rainier III of Monaco. He is also artistic director of the Monaco International Organ Festival, and of the Organ Festival of Mougins.

Olivier Vernet is a French organist, professor of organ at the National Regional Conservatory in Tours, Olivier VERNET leads an active concert career as organist and accompanying pianist for his sister, the soprano Isabelle VERNET. His impressive list of recordings has already received several distinctions including the Diapason d’Or, the “shock” of the Monde de la Musique, etc …

The music of Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707) has been described as 'a lot like J. S. Bach's, only less so.' Indeed, Buxtehude was probably the most important single influence on Bach, who is said to have walked more than 200 kilometres, at the age of 15, to hear Buxtehude play the organ. The similarity in their organ compositions is unmistakable, though Bach's are ultimately more complex and subtler in their counterpoint. Nevertheless, anyone who loves Bach's organ music will find this recording a real pleasure. Volker Ellenberger plays the grand-sounding organ of the Evangelical Lutheran City Church in Buckberg with a sure feel for the composer's language and aesthetic. The chorale preludes are particularly engaging and played with special sensitivity.

Dieterich Buxtehude is one of the key figures of the baroque period. Other musicians and composers like the young Johann Sebastian Bach came from all over Europe to listen to and to learn from him, since his virtuosi abilities on the organ and his knowledge of compositions were legendary. When he was quite old Buxtehude published two collections of instrumental chamber music. Apart from a few occasional works, these are the only examples of his art that were printed during his lifetime. Opus 1, containing seven sonatas for violin and viola da gamba with harpsichord continuo, is undated but probably appeared in 1694.

Buxtehude’s cantata cycle, Membra Jesu Nostri, is a unique work. Based on texts from a medieval Latin hymn, ‘Salve mundi salutare’, the cycle contains seven cantatas each dedicated to a different part of Christ’s crucified body. The texts are based on the concept of an observer contemplating Christ’s body on the cross starting with his feet and moving up to his knees, hands, side, breast, heart and finally his head. Buxtehude plays cleverly with musical colours and textures and changes the mixture of voices and instruments to dramatic effect as the work develops.

The music of the 17th century is deeply influenced by fearless innovation and bubbling creativity, characterized by experimentation with form that only with the subsequent generation of composers develops into fixed conventions and a higher degree of conformity. Here, a glimpse of the richness represented by the music from the Baltic region in the latter half of the 17th century is presented by bass-baritone Jakob Bloch Jespersen and Concerto Copenhagen under the direction of Lars Ulrik Mortensen.

Dieterich Buxtehude was a Danish-German organist and composer of the Baroque period. His organ works represent a central part of the standard organ repertoire and are frequently performed at recitals and in church services. He composed in a wide variety of vocal and instrumental idioms, and his style strongly influenced many composers, including Johann Sebastian Bach. Today, Buxtehude is considered one of the most important composers in Germany of the mid-Baroque.

In 1680, Dietrich Buxtehude sent his friend Gustav Düben the score of Membra Jesu nostri. In this perfectly balanced work, he addresses the senses directly, immersing us in the sufferings of Christ: we feel the hammer blows, the heart that stops beating…

Buxtehude’s anthology and some of the most beautiful pages of North German repertory.

This CD gives a glimpse into the rich musical world of Dieterich Buxtehude and his contemporaries. These composers were active as Kapellmeisters and wrote music specifically to be performed during the concerts known as Abendmusiken or for various Collegia Musica. They were also associated with the Hamburg or North German School of the seventeenth century.