Sacred Music

'There is no respect in which the vocal and instrumental performances or the recording fail to do justice to a composer whose revival is long overdue. I strongly recommend you to discover this for yourselves. Bravo, Hyperion!'
- Gramophone Editor's Choice

'Robert King draws fine singing and playing from his ensemble. The soloists are uniformly excellent ... Knüpfer is a real discovery - full marks to all concerned.'
- International Record Review

'Beautifully executed'
- Classic CD

Following The King's Consort's successful series of concerts at Wigmore Hall earlier this year performing works by Bach, Kuhnau, Knüpfer and Biber, Hyperion release the second CD in the Bach's Contemporaries series. This time we concentrate on the sacred music by German composer Sebastian Knüpfer.

Knüpfer is yet another Baroque composer whose reputation and popularity has been overshadowed by J S Bach. Little of Knüpfer's music has previously been transcribed from its many manuscripts, let alone published. However, in his day Knüpfer was a respected and highly sought-after composer; his compositions were admired by his contemporaries and, according to his obituary, he 'composed quotations of the Psalms and other biblical books with such sweetness and skilfulness that he delighted even the saddest hearts, and his name is spoken with admiration not only in Leipzig but also outside'. As we have come to expect from Robert King and his King's Consort, the performances are of the highest standard with some of the finest singers on the early music platform today.

"The second release in the Bach's Contemporaries series reveals a composer of imagination and flair. The King's Consort give these rarities outstanding performances"
Editor's Choice Gramophone Aug 2000