Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber: Karneval in Kremsier

The violinist Gunar Letzbor is an established specialist in performing Austrian baroque music; in particular, he has especially intensively grappled with works of Biber, Muffat and Schmelzer, to name three examples. In so doing, he is constantly searching for the specifically Austrian baroque string sound.

With the present recording of dance movements by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, Letzbor and his Ensemble Ars Antiqua Austria portray a fictitious carnival at the court of the music-loving prince-bishop in Kremsier where a very independent, forward-looking orchestral sound was developing. Through the mixture of numerous instrumental timbres, a sonic variety was attained that already points ahead to the “modern” orchestral instrumentation of Viennese classicism. We can hear the special characteristics of Bohemian-Moravian folk music in many of the compositions from the Kremsier music collection recorded here.

The spectrum of the selected dance movements ranges from gallant and graceful to rustic and exuberant. Letzbor and his Ensemble play them with charm and élan – occasionally interrupted by the night watchman, who makes it known what time it is. Before the last movement is over, the tower clock suddenly strikes twelve times, bringing the happy hustle and bustle to an abrupt end; six Balletti lamentabili conclude this recording with the appropriate solemnity.