Search - Johann Kaspar Kerll, Arno Paduch, Johann Rosenmüller Ensemble :: Johann Kaspar Kerll: Missa in fletu solatium obsidionis Viennensis

Yet another German baroque master

scott | Calgary, Canada | 05/22/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The number of really top rate composers from Germany and its environs working in the 17th century is quite amazing. Between Schutz and Bach there is a whole slate of musicians that all wrote very, very good music, and one of them is Johann Kaspar Kerll. He spent most of his life in Munich, and may have been the teacher of Pachelbel. Whether he was or not, his influence is easily seen in his music, and a number of other composers, including Bach. This recording includes a number of works in different genres, and is a good sampling of Kerll's art. There is a substantial mass for six voices and instruments, some motets of both large and small scale, and some works for both organ, and instrumental ensemble.



That the music itself is good goes without saying. Anything German from the 17th century can't help but be good. Kerll had a solid grounding in counterpoint, and there are some really wonderful fugues among these pieces. The mass has some moments of extreme chromaticism that are very adventuresome for the time.



The performance by the Rosenmuller Ensemble under Arno Paduch is good, and quite solid, but there are a few moments that don't quite measure up. The tuning of the voices isn't always perfect, and occasionally things sound a little bit wobbly when the whole ensemble sings. They are not well known names, except for maybe Ralf Popken, and the vocal sound doesn't seem totally "centred" to me. But I am being fairly picky here, and on the whole the singing is pretty good. The instruments are more solid, and I can't really fault them in any way. Arno Paduch is a great cornettist, and the repertoire he records with the Rosenmuller Ensemble is always great, but the performances are not quite as good as you get from K. Junghanel or B. Dickey.



Still, though, 4 solid stars, and a nice recording of rare material, so I still recommend it."