Ther first monographic album of the oustanding musician from Gdansk, a Baroque seconda prattica rich in textual meaning and musical rhetoric. The biblical dialogues, so popular in the Baroque, have been interspersed with instrumental sonatas. Kaspar Foerster, the son of a capellmeister from Gdansk, had a very interesting biography. After studying in Rome for three years he was a singer in an opera ensemble at the Polish royal court for over a dozen years. Afterwards he became maestro di cappella at the royal court in Denmark. He left the post to become a mercenary and fight in Venice against Turkey. After the war he was a singer in Hamburg and the last years of life he spent in Oliwa near Gdansk. Out of his fifty or so compositions ten have been selected for this album: vocal-instrumental church concertos, more elaborate biblical dialogues and three instrumental sonatas. They are all examples of the excellent early Baroque technique and its richness of expression. The biography and the selected works are comprehensively and competently dealt with in the attached commentary by Ewa Obniska. Agata Sapiecha and her Il Tempo ensemble invited five singers specializing in the old vocal forms. The result is a very interesting recording nominated for the Fryderyk ’99 award in the early music category. [MUZYKA PAP]

CDAccord · ACD050 – Kaspar Forster – Vanitas Vanitatum