Wooden Voices - L'Apothéose de Corelli (CD)

The ensemble was founded in 2003 with Silvia Müller and Martin Erhardt (recorders) and Mikhail Yarzhembovskiy (harpsichord). In 2004, with this line-up, it won first prize at the International ERTA Competition in Freiburg/Breisgau. Expanded to a quartet with baroque cellist Gyöngy Erödi, Wooden Voices won second prize at the 1 Festival van Vlaanderen competition in Bruges and at the 2 International Telemann Competition in Magdeburg, where Gyöngy Erödi and Mikhail Yarzhembovskiy were also awarded the continuo prize as best continuo players. The ensemble has performed at internationally renowned festivals such as the Bachfest Leipzig and Itinéraire Baroque au Perigord, as well as in concert series at home and abroad, such as Early Music at the Ibach House, the Bach Archive Leipzig, and the Theater und Philharmonie Duisburg.
Silvia Müller, Gyöngy Erödi, Martin Erhardt, and Mikhail Yarzhembovskiy continue to pursue numerous musical projects. Radio recordings for MDR, WDR, and DLF, as well as CD productions on labels such as cpo, Sony Classical/Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, Raumklang, and Virgin Classics, among others, document the diverse artistic work of each individual. In addition to their active concert activities, both as soloists and in various chamber music ensembles, they enthusiastically serve as expert lecturers in workshops and teaching positions at various music institutes in Germany and are particularly committed to supporting young talent in the field of early music. While researching original literature for two recorders and basso continuo, we came across an edition of Arcangelo Corelli's Trio Sonatas, Op. 2, "Sonate da camera A trè, doi Violini, e Violone, ò Cimbalo da Arcangelo Corelli. Opera seconda. In Roma 1685." which had been adapted for two recorders and basso continuo by the music publisher and Corelli contemporary Pierre Mortier (1661-1711).
The title of this edition is: “VI Sonatas by Mr. Arcangelo Corelli, tirez de tous ses ouvrages & Transportez Pour deux Flûtes & Basse Continue. Livre second. Amsterdam, chez Pierre Mortier.” Mortier’s original print is in the Marienbibliothek in Jever, and a microfilm of the facsimile is in the Music History Archive in Kassel. Mortier’s arrangement of this work, which was already popular at the time, represents a charming variation on the original in terms of content and sound and is also a testament to Baroque playing and performance practice as well as a joy of experimentation, which our ensemble is happy to embrace. In addition to the Amsterdam print of the Corelli Sonatas, Op. 2, his oeuvre was received in French, German, and English-speaking countries in numerous other prints and arrangements that appeared during his lifetime. The extent of Corelli's veneration is demonstrated not least by François Couperin's great trio sonata "L'Apothéose de Corelli," with which he creates a musical monument to the Roman master for eternity. Couperin's "Apothéose," combined in a program with Corelli's trio sonatas, creates a charming sense of recognition: even for the layperson, it is clearly audible how Couperin attempts to imitate Corelli's personal style while remaining true to his own musical mother tongue. This is precisely what makes the dazzling diversity of the Baroque ocean of repertoire magically vivid. Yet in the Baroque period, virtually every musician could not only play repertoire from sheet music, but also freely express themselves in their own musical language—in other words, improvise. Our ensemble also explores this practice, combining several Corelli sonatas with solo improvisations to create a greater whole. We were inspired, on the one hand, by Corelli's personal stylistic vocabulary and, on the other, by the solo fantasies of some of his contemporaries. With these stylistically faithful yet personal improvisations, we capture over 300 years of music in its time and bring it into the here and now.

01-03 Sonata I
04 Improvisation
05-08 Sonata II
09 Improvisation
10-13 Sonata VI
14-20 The Apotheosis
21-24 Sonata IV
25 Improvisations
26-28 Sonata III
29 Improvisations
30-33 Sonata V