Hana Blazikova - German Baroque Cantatas

This CD provides an overview of the repertoire of sacred music in German-speaking countries in the second half of the 17th century by means of some valuable rarities. But this recording is not only convincing in terms of repertoire: the young Czech soprano Hana Blazikova lends her wonderful voice to the works in this cleverly compiled program with the Ensemble CordArte. The young Czech soprano Hana Blažíkóva is currently one of the most exciting voices in the baroque scene today. After receiving her final diploma at the Conservatory of her native city Prague in 2002, the singer very rapidly gained an excellent reputation as a baroque interpreter. Conductors such as Philippe Herreweghe, Masaaki Suzuki and Vaclav Luks frequently invite her for CD recordings, concerts and tours. She regularly appears at renowned festivals including Prague Spring, Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht, Resonances in Vienna and the Early Music Days in Regensburg. The present recording introduces Hana Blažíkóva as a solo artist for the first time. She has selected cantatas and sacred concertos from the second half of the 17th century, during the period when the so-called stylus phantasticus was crystallising in the German-speaking world. This style is characterised by the alternation between freely rhapsodic monodies creating the effect of improvisations with sections of great contrapuntal, polyphonic density. Ranging from virtuoso coloraturas, declamatory calls to prayer and intimate, heartfelt courtly love for Jesus, the works of Johann Schop, Johann Philipp Förtsch, Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, Johann Pachelbel, Dieterich Buxtehude, Samuel Capricornus and Samuel Ebart are typical for their time.