First recording of an important Passion oratorio of the German Baroque period. Johann Melchior Molter (1696-1765), ten years younger than Johann Sebastian Bach, was an important composer of the High German Baroque, whose roots lie in Tiefenort in Thuringia. Born and raised there, he soon made a career for himself: Via Eisenach (Bach's birthplace) and Meiningen, he eventually became court conductor in Karlsruhe.

The sacred oratorio "Höchst schmerzensvoller Tag" is Molter's only Passion oratorio and is being recorded here for the first time. in 2022, the Camerata Bachiensis ensemble actually gave the work its modern premiere. The Regensburg musicologist Wolfgang Horn came across the score while sifting through Molter's compositions - of which around 350 have survived to this day - and arranged parts from it.

Unlike the Passion settings of the time, there is no evangelist linking the 28 short movements of Höchst schmerzvoller Tag. Recitatives and arios follow the pattern of earlier sacred dramas from Italy and Germany, with the roles assigned to Moses, the prophet Isaiah and John the Baptist, anticipating the arrival of the Messiah.

Other arias are assigned to an embodiment of the "soul", including the touchingly expressive climax of the oratorio, "Liebster Jesu". Choral parts are limited to punctuating chorales sung by the congregation in Eisenach on a Good Friday between 1734 and 1741, when Molter was Kapellmeister in the town.

In this recording, which was made around the time of the modern premiere in Leipzig, the chorales are performed individually by an experienced German quartet of early music singers. Their partners are the 16 members of the Camerata Bachiensis without a conductor, who already produced an album of concertos and cantatas by Molter for Brilliant Classics in 2016 and performed it "with elegance and brilliance" (Fanfare).

- Johann Melchior Molter was born in 1696 in Thuringia, where his musical talent was quickly recognized. He served in the orchestra of the Karlsruhe court. He later broadened his horizons with a trip to Italy, where he met Albinoni, Vivaldi and Alessandro Scarlatti. He was inspired by their melodic talent, studied their instrumental skills and returned to Karlsruhe, where he spent the rest of his life as a court composer.

- Molter's works are festive and ceremonial, a successful blend of German counterpoint, Italian brilliance and French grandeur.

- This new recording presents the large-scale oratorio "Höchst schmerzensvoller Tag", which was written for Good Friday. The work follows the model of the Passion oratorio, which enjoyed great popularity in Protestant Germany from the beginning of the 18th century. The suffering and death of Christ are not depicted using quotations from the Passion accounts of the New Testament, but are commented on and reflected upon through contemporary poetry. The music is powerful and dramatic and expresses the suffering of Christ in moving arias, recitatives and chorales.

- Performed by Julia Sophie Wagner (soprano), Susanne Langner (alto), Benjamin Glaubitz (tenor), Karsten Müller (bass) and the Camerata Bachiensis ensemble on period instruments.