Reutter: Portus Felicitatis (Motets & Arias for the Pantaleon) La Gioia Armonica

• Johann Georg Reutter (1708-1772): Portus Felicitatis
• 1Venga l'età vetusta06:59
• 2Justorum animae in manu Dei sunt05:35
• 3Pizzicato05:30
• 4Dura legge a chi t'adora07:20
• 5Allegro03:21
• 6Hodie in ecclesia sanctorum07:37
• 7Wenceslaum sanctissimum05:09
• 8Del pari infeconda06:43
• 9Surrexit pastor bonus08:13
• 10Deus Pater paraclytus06:21
• 11Soletto al mio caro06:45
• Total Runtime01:09:33

Info for Reutter: Portus Felicitatis (Motets & Arias for the Pantaleon)

Today almost entirely forgotten, Reutter has been the most successful composer of opera in Vienna during the 1730s, and the single and most influential composer of church music in Vienna for three decades, enjoying the estimation of both Charles VI and Maria Theresia. The son of a court organist and music director at St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Reutter studied with Antonio Caldara and, having returned from a period of study in Italy, was nominated imperial court composer in Vienna in 1730. He became first director of music at St. Stephen’s im 1738, second Hofkapellmeister in 1747 and first Hofkapellmeister in 1769. His influential position in the musical life of Vienna led to conflicts with Durazzo and Gluck which escalated in 1761. Reutter is one of the few composers who composed for the Pantaleon (salterio). As Caldara had done before him, Reutter used the pantaleon as an obbligato instrument in several arias of his operas and oratorios. Our programme features four arias for obligato salterio. With this album La Gioia Armonica will continue the endeavours of its first album for RAMÉE, dedicated to original compositions for the pantaleon by Antonio Caldara (RAM0405).

„... interpreted with what one may call‚ heavenly perfection’. ... this is the sound of classical music as pure as it can get ...“ (The Jordan Times)

„... a delightful range of charming colours and intriguing textural effects ...“ (Early Music)

„... brilliant interpretation ...“ (Goldberg)

Monika Mauch, soprano
Stanislava Jirků, alto
La Gioia Armonica:
Meret Lüthi, violin
Sabine Stoffer, violin
Lucile Chionchini, viola
Felix Knecht, cello
Armin Bereuter, violone
Margit Übellacker, dulcimer
Michael Freimuth, archlute, theorbo
Jürgen Banholzer, organ, direction

La Gioia Armonica
The ensemble LA GIOIA ARMONICA was founded by the Austrian dulcimer player Margit Übellacker and the German organist and singer Jürgen Banholzer. A main focus of the ensemble’s work is the exploration of the baroque repertoire for the dulcimer, and in particular for the italian salterio and for the legendary pantaleon. The size of the ensemble ranges from the dulcimer-organ duo to larger formations, in which musicians specialising in early music performance practice join forces to produce lively and fresh performances of unknown or rarely performed works of the 17th and 18th centuries.

In April 2017 the third CD of the ensemble was released by cpo: Conserva me Domine with countertenor Terry Wey, whom the Süddeutsche Zeitung lately called a discovery long overdue and who was rated one of the best of his Fach by Fono Forum. It features two psalms by Benedetto Marcello as well as vocal and instrumental works with obligato salterio by Giambattista Martini, Antonio Sacchini and Melchiorre Chiesa. Margit Übellacker plays these on a copy of an eighteenth century Italian salterio. Critics called this CD „a musically satisfying disc which opens new horizons" (MusicWeb International), „a very fine disc for curious ears“ (www.clicmusique.com) which „demonstrates that there is still much interesting music to discover“ (American Record Guide).

The ensemble’s first CD (Antonio Caldara: Cantate, Sonate ed Arie, released by RAMÉE) was greeted enthusiastically by the press and received various prizes (Pizzicato Supersonic Award, Goldberg: 5 Ètoiles, Prelude Classical Award 2006 for the best debut CD). LA GIOIA ARMONICA has since been invited to give concerts in Germany and abroad, e.g. at Ton Koopman's Festival Itinéraire Baroque, at the Händelfestspiele in Halle, the Bachfestival Dordrecht, the Festival de Musique Ancienne in Leytron, the Early Music Festival in Timisoara, Bagnacavallo Classica, the Mitteldeutsche Heinrich-Schütz-Tage, the Organfestival Fugato in Bad Homburg, OrgelPlus in Bottrop as well as for concert series of the Museum of Musical Instruments in Berlin and the Akademie der Wissenschaften in Mainz.

The ensemble's second CD (Johann Georg Reutter: Portus Felicitatis, released by RAMÉE in cooperation with Radio Bremen) appeared in 2013 and features motets and arias for the pantaleon by one of the most successful composers of music for the church and for the opera at the Viennese court around 1750. "The album which at last rehabilitates Reutter with doubled rarities has a title that is brilliantly chosen: Portus Felicitatis is really a haven of bliss for all lovers of classical music off the beaten track of mainstream." (Dirk Kruse, Bayrischer Rundfunk) George Pratt called the CD "wonderfully revelatory" (BBC Music Magazine).

Booklet for Reutter: Portus Felicitatis (Motets & Arias for the Pantaleon)