Balthasar Erban:
Dixit Dominus
Ach, dass ich doch in meinen Augen hätte
Passacaglia. Courante. Sarabande
Erbarm dich mein, o Herre Gott
Laudate Dominum
Sonata sopra ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la
Ich freue mich im Herrn
Peccavi super numerum
Magnificat a` 12

Matthias Weckmann:
Toccata in a

Born in Danzig in 1626, Balthasar Erben was a cosmopolitan. When he applied for the position of Kapellmeister of the main church of St. Marien in his hometown at the age of 27, the council granted him a generous scholarship so that he could "look around the world and perfect himself as a composer". For five years, Erben traveled throughout Europe, visiting all the centers of musical culture of the time, including Rome. His compositional style, which was developed during this time, is correspondingly distinctive: a combination of different influences, cleverly interwoven. The Abendmusiken Basel offer an impressive collection of instrumental and sacred works by the composer who is unfortunately little known today.

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Recording: Church of St. Martin, Müllheim (Baden), Switzerland, 5th – 9th January 2020