Conversations With God – Le Concert Etranger

   in Early Music Today (Mar, 2016)
‘Conversations with God’? Well, perhaps more accurately addresses to God, there being only one true dialogue among this fine collection of 17th-century German sacred works. Interspersed are organ works by Scheidemann and Hammerschmidt, a string sinfonia of grave beauty by Rosenmuller and, incongruously in this company, one of the sinfonias from Monteverdi’s Orfeo, lazily listed simply as ‘sinfonia’.

The overall standard of the vocal works is extremely high, with highlights including Telemann’s Ach, Herr (TWV7:3), an early cantata in concerto style, several impressive pieces by the underrated Andreas Hammerschmidt, and the most substantial work, Nikolaus Bruhns’ four- voice cantata Hemmt eure Tranenflut, which makes impressive use of mimetic effect over the …