Aus einer Wurzel zart (From tender stem hath sprung) – Distler: Weihnachtsgeschichte

KAMMERCHOR VOX ANIMATA
CONDUCTED BY ROBERT GÖSTL

Composed in 1933, Distler’s Weihnachtsgeschichte enjoyed great popularity in its time and still ranks as one of the most profoundly moving 20th century a capella choral works for Advent and Christmas. The vocal ensemble vox animata, directed by Robert Göstl, creates a choral sound that is both refined and deeply expressive, allowing Distler’s delicate musical language to blossom. The programme is filled out with six motets for the Christmas season.

ALBUM DETAILS

CD-Content

MORTEN LAURIDSEN (*1943)
01 O magnum mysterium  06:08

FRANCIS POULENC (1899 – 1963)
02 O magnum mysterium  03:43

TOMAS LUIS DE VICTORIA (um 1548 – 1611)
03 O magnum mysterium  02:58
Viertes Responsorium aus der Matutin an Weihnachten

HANS LEO HASSLER (1564 – 1612)
04 Dixit Maria ad Angelum  03:02
aus: Cantiones sacrae Nr. 7

MAX REGER (1873 – 1916)
05 Unser lieben Frauen Traum  02:33
aus: Acht geistliche Gesänge op. 138/4

HUGO DISTLER (1908 – 1942)
Die Weihnachtsgeschichte op. 10

06 Einleitung: Das Volk, so im Finstern wandelt, siehet ein Licht  03:59
07 Choral: Es ist ein Ros entsprungen  01:11
08 Erzähler, Engel, Maria: Es ward gesandt der Engel Gabriel  02:55
09 Choral: Das Röslein, das ich meine  01:28
10 Erzähler, Elisabeth, Maria: Maria aber stand auf  03:21
11 Erzähler: Es begab sich aber zu der Zeit  02:03
12 Choral: Das Blümelein so kleine  01:23
13 Erzähler: Und es waren Hirten in derselben Gegend  01:49
14 Der Chor der Engel: Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe  01:20
15 Erzähler: Und da die Engel von ihnen gen Himmel fuhren  00:11
16 Der Chor der Hirten: Lasset uns nun gehen gen Bethlehem  01:40
17 Erzähler: Und sie kamen eilend  00:21
18 Choral: Die Hirten zu der Stunden machten sich auf den Weg  00:57
19 Erzähler: Da Jesus geboren war  00:29
20 Die Weisen aus dem Morgenland: Wo ist der neugeborne König der Juden?  01:47
21 Erzähler: Da das der König Herodes hörete  00:32
22 Die Hohenpriester und Schriftgelehrten: Zu Bethlehem im jüdischen Lande  01:04
23 Erzähler, Herodes: Denn also stehet geschrieben  01:16
24 Erzähler: Als sie nun den König gehöret hatten  01:41
25 Choral: Lob, Ehr sei Gott dem Vater, dem Sohn und Heil’gen Geist  02:05
26 Erzähler: Und siehe, ein Mensch war zu Jerusalem  01:28
27 Simeon: Herr, nun lässest du deinen Diener in Frieden fahren  01:00
28 Choral: So singen wir all Amen, das heißt: So wird es wahr!  01:12
29 Beschluss: Also hat Gott die Welt geliebet, dass er seinen eingebornen Sohn gab –
auf dass alle, die an ihn glauben, nicht verloren werden.  03:55

Solo:
The Angel: Franziska Heidemann
Maria: Janine Wagner
Elisabeth: Rebecca Schmitt
Simeon: Wolfgang Staudinger
Herodes: Steffen Schulte
Narrator: Gerhard Hölzle

MICHAEL PRAETORIUS (1571 – 1621)
30 Carl Orff (1895 – 1982)
Es ist ein Ros entsprungen  02:54

MAX REGER (1873 – 1916)
31 Schlaf wohl, du Himmelsknabe du  03:47

ERIC WHITACRE (*1970)
32 Lux aurumque  03:44

Total time / Gesamtspielzeit: 68:13

Text in German and English (32 Seiten)

P+C 2018 Spektral, LC 15543
Best.-Nr. SRL4-18165
EAN: 4260130381653

ARTISTS

Gerhard Hölzle

The lyric tenor Gerhard Hölzle was born in 1960 in Kempten. He was initially a student of Florian Mayr, and later went on to study with Ingrid Bettag and James Taylor. Since 2013, he has been working with Sami Kustaloglu. His solo appearances, which are mainly in the Bavarian region, focus for the most part on Baroque and Romantic music. He also sings in professional groups such as Stimmwerck (www.stimmwerck.de), the Bavarian Radio Choir, Nu­remburg’s Vocalwerk, and the Balthasar Neumann Choir. Hölzle regularly performs in Germany and abroad as part of these and other ensembles, appearing in concerts as well as on CD and broadcast recordings. As a trained historian and German scholar, he writes articles for specialist journals as well as broadcast scripts for Bavarian Radio. His article The 100th Anniversary (1617) of the Reformation in Allgäu has been published in Bavaria. Also of note is an article about the travels of the Berlin Enlighenment figure Friedrich Nicolai. Hölzle’s extensive research into the New Modern Era, the Baroque, and National Socialism has greatly enriched and informed his work as a writer of various introductory texts on music and programme notes for concerts.

vox animata

The chamber choir vox animata was founded in 2014 by its artistic director Robert Göstl, and consists of musical colleagues of the conductor as well as former members of the German Youth Chamber Choir which Göstl had directed from 2010 to 2014. The choir’s members come from throughout Germany and work on a semi-professional basis. Their repertoire is challenging and embraces all genres and periods, with a special focus on Johann Sebastian Bach, Romantic literature, and 20th-Century and contemporary music. Concert tours have taken the choir across Europe and as far afield as China and Chile. Regular appearances at music festivals are central to the choir’s activities, which can also be heard on CD recordings.
www.vox-animata.de

Robert Göstl

Robert Göstl studied choral conducting with Roland Büchner and Jörg Straube. From 2009 to 2013, Göstl was a professor of choral conducting at the University of Music and Dance in Cologne. He has also written a textbook on choral conducting, and it has become a standard reference work in its field. He shares his extensive knowledge of choral conducting by giving many courses and workshops, both in Germany and abroad. From 2010 to 2014 he conducted the German Youth Chamber Choir. He is also the founder and director of the chamber choir vox animata and is a member of the Artistic Council of Tenso, a network of European professional choirs. He regularly guest conducts throughout Europe as well and in Latin America and Asia. He also takes a special interest in the relationship between professional choral work and high-quality amateur choral singing.
www.robert-goestl.de