Geistliche Chorwerke

This new album by the award-winning Latvian radio choir under the direction of Sigvards Klava focuses on the religious choral works of one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era, Felix Mendelssohn. Although the young Mendelssohn only received a religious upbringing at the age of seven and was baptized in the Reformed Church in Berlin, Christian traditions played a major role in his creative work. Writing sacred choral works was ultimately a very natural choice for Mendelssohn, the man who was so devoted to the works of Johann Sebastian Bach and also rediscovered his Matthäus Passion. Especially in the last decade of his life, Mendelssohn returned to composing unaccompanied choral works, and most works in this collection date from the 1840s. The largest works on the album are the 'Six Sayings' (1843-46), with each hymn dedicated to a particular feast day of the year, and the 'Three Psalms' (1843-45). This recording of the psalms also contains the world premiere recording of "Ehre sei dem Vater", which was published by Carus in 1997.