Fredrich Christian Samuel Mohrheim

Derr Herr ist mit mir. Festo Annunciationis Mariae (1765) PL-GD Ms. Joh. 63

Uns ist ein Kind geboren. Feria 1. Nativit: Christi PL-GD Ms. Joh. 61

Ehre sey Gott in der Höhe. Cantata Feria prima Nativitatis Christi (1778) PL-GD Ms Joh. 65

Tochter des Himmels. Aria Communio. PL-GD Ms. Joh. 66

Auserwählte Schar. Festo Michaelis. PL-GD Ms. Joh. 173b

Der Herr ist Gott, der uns erleuchtet. Feria 2. Pentecost. PL-GD Ms. Joh. 173a

At the head of the Goldberg Ensemble, founded in 2008, Andrzej Szadejko was again able to surround himself with a valiant panel of singers. Among the delightful moments devoted to the female voices are the subtle intarsia of the duets Immanuel, der Väter Hoffen and O ewiger Vater, Du Quelle des Lichts , the aria Zerfliess, mein Herz entrusted to Franziska Gottwald, the aria Du gehst voran entrusted to Siri Karoline Thornhill. We admire Stephan MacLeod’s precise intonation and controlled breathing in Tochter des Himmels and So schmückt die Herzen . Virgil Hartinger’s trumpet tone blends perfectly with the glorification of Auserwählte Schar, illuminated by a menacing trumpet retort.

In the vast nave of the Holy Trinity Church in Gdańsk, the fifteen or so choristers are spacious to the full desired degree, the brilliance of the brass and timpani resounding with majesty. The orchestra of strings and wind instruments (what delicate traversals from the lips of Maja and Aleksandra Wisniewski!) weaves a delicate cocoon around the soloists, guaranteeing humble fervour.- Crescendo, Christopher Stayne

It is hard to believe, but even in our time (…) real discoveries can still be made. It is thanks to the musician and scholar Andrzej Mikołaj Szadejko, responsible for the extremely informative series ‘Musica Baltica’ at the MDG, that Friedrich Christian Samuel Mohrheim (1719 – 1780) has returned to the public consciousness. 

Finally, Mohrheim’s stylistic complexity should be emphasised, as Andrzej Mikołaj Szadejko not only discovered and edited this rich music, but also interpreted it in its traditional as well as innovative strands. The Goldberg Vocal Ensemble conducted by Szadejko and the Goldberg Baroque Ensemble sing and play brilliantly (horns!) and are presented in the impressive spatial depths of the Holy Trinity Church in Gdansk with equal accuracy and clarity- Dr. Michael B. Weiß, Klassik Heute