Stolzel: Psalm motets

Brüser, Meinolf, Josquin Capella

MDG 605 1394-2

Little is known personally about 16th-century German composer Thomas Stoltzer, but there’s no doubt about the high quality of his music nor of its importance during his relatively short lifetime (he apparently drowned in a river near Znojmo, Moravia in his early, or mid-, 40s). His church music–masses, motets, hymns–is notable for its rich sonority and skillful polyphony, and his German psalm motets, two of which are presented here, are among the first such settings to exploit Luther’s translations.
As mentioned in an earlier review of Stoltzer’s liturgical music (type Q7747 in Search Reviews), I remarked that there was nothing original to be heard, and the same applies here; however, the composer’s adeptness at using his voices to create varied textures and colors and dynamic effects is quite impressive–and makes listening very easy and satisfying.

So does the singing of the fine vocal ensemble Josquin Capella, a group of eight excellent and well-balanced voices who really know each other–that is, they know the meaning of “ensemble”–and the stylistic demands of the music and the genre.
Two highlights are the disc’s two longest pieces–Erzürne dich nicht (Psalm 37) and Benedicam Dominum in omni tempore (Psalm 34)–which together show both the choir and composer’s best stuff, including lovely vocal phrasing and interpretive sensitivity (especially the alternating female- and male-voice sections in Psalm 34) and Stoltzer’s most refined polyphonic writing. The sound is ideal. • David Vernier [5/30/2006]

CD x 1

MDG

5/26/06

760623139425