Description
The Golden Age for Choral SingingThe nineteenth century was a golden age for choral singing. A European chorister looking for a corner in vocal heaven would have been well advised to buy a one-way ticket to Germany or Austria: more specifically, to Berlin, Leipzig, Frankfurt, Cologne, or Vienna. Beginning in 1810, singing clubs, and later on, choral societies, shot up all over this part of the world like mushrooms. You could join a Liedertafel, Liederkranz, or Männersangverein. Carl Friedrich Zelter, Mendelssohn’s teacher and the leader of the Berliner Singverein, was the first person to use the term “Liedertafel” in 1808. The term was used to indicate an informal meeting of poets, composers, and singers who came together to sing German part-songs. In a letter addressed to Goethe, Zelter explained that the 25 members of his Liedertafel were accustomed to sit down at a well-furnished table for a sumptuous dinner followed by an evening of singing. Zelter’s group preferred original works, so freshly composed that the ink was still wet. The best musical contribution was then duly rewarded with a medal, a congratulatory toast, or a laurel wreath. Behind this convivial atmosphere there was a loftier goal: the stimulation and promotion of German poetry and music. A Liedertafel, in other words, could be seen as occupying a place comparable to the Meistersingers’ guild of the middle ages, or the eighteenth-century musical meetings of the Freemasons.
Additional information
Artists | |
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Mastering equipment | B&W 803 diamond series |
Speakers | Audiolab, Holland |
Recording software | Pyramix bij Merging |
Recording location | Eindhoven Holland 2009 |
Recording engineer | Jared Sacks |
Producer | Jared Sacks |
Mixing board | Rens Heijnis custom design |
Microphones | Bruel & Kjaer, Schoeps |
Mastering engineer | Jared Sacks |
Composers | |
Digital converters | Grimm A/D DSD / Meitner DA |
Cables | van den Hul |
Type | DSD 64 fs, FLAC 192 kHz, FLAC 96 kHz, FLAC 44.1 kHz, MP3 44.1 kHz |
Format | Download (Stereo), Download (Multichannel), Download (Stereo + Multichannel) |
Label | |
Genre | |
Conductors | |
Recording type bit rate | DSD64 |
Press reviews
Zing
De mannen van the Gents hebben een hyperverfijnde designklank. (…)
(…) Alles op de cd is met grote perfectie gezongen. Geslaagd is de samenwerking met de sopraan en de pianist. Hoe moet het voelen om als sopraan te zingen met zoveel warme mannenstemmen als background vocals?
Dagblad vh Noorden
Hoogst romantische liederen van Nederland topensemble The Gents (…) Hartverscheurend repertoire, ontleend aan de grote Duitse traditie van mannen die in de dagen van de romantiek bijeen kwamen om te zingen. Hoe dat toen klonk? Wie zal het zeggen, ze zongen toen in elk geval uit liefde voor het zingen en dat doen The Gents ook onderleiding van Béno Scillag, de opvolger van de oprichter Peter Dijkstra. (…) de sopraan en de pianist zijn een duo dat haast intuïtief aanvoelt waar het omgaat in deze liederen van oa Schubert, Strauss en Röntgen (…) Aanbevolen voor wie niet bang is voor een portie oprechte, beeldschone romantiek. Dat alles ook nog eens schitterend opgenomen in superaudio. Anders gezegd: Wie schön bist du!
BBC Music Magazine
Hypnotically homogenous of timbre, hushed and soft-focused, The Gents clearly relish Schubert’s songs of night and of yearning
Gramophone
a rounded, unforced sonority, refined chording and balance (…) Deep basses lend a crucial richness to the textures of the Strauss and Wolf part-songs. (…)
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