Brorson: The Rare Treasure of Faith Phemius Consort

• Charles Dieupart (1667 - 1740):
• 1Suite No. 2 in D Major: I. Ouverture02:26
• Johann Anastasius Freylinghausen (1670 - 1739):
• 2Op! thi dagen nu frembryder03:45
• Charles Dieupart:
• 3Suite No. 2 in D Major: VI. Passepied01:01
• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750):
• 4Dig, dig min Herre vil jeg prise02:17
• Morten Ræhs (1702 - 1766):
• 5Flute Sonata No. 2 in D Major: I. Andante02:12
• Johann Sebastian Bach:
• 6Guds riges evangelium (Arr. J.S. Bach)03:32
• Charles Dieupart:
• 7Harpsichord Suite No. 2 in D Major: II. Allemande02:30
• 8Vor Jesus kan ei noget herberg finde (Arr. J.B. Jespersen & A. Rasmussen)03:16
• Morten Ræhs:
• 9Flute Sonata No. 3 in C Minor: I. Adagio04:29
• Johann Sebastian Bach:
• 10Dig min søde skat at møde04:24
• Charles Dieupart:
• 11Suite No. 2 in D Major: IV. Sarabande01:56
• Johann Sebastian Bach:
• 12Som lilliens hjerte kan holdes i grøde (Arr. J.S. Bach)02:54
• Morten Ræhs:
• 13Flute Sonata No. 9 in B-Flat Major: III. Spiritoso02:09
• Johann Sebastian Bach:
• 14Du est, opstandne seyers helt02:38
• Charles Dieupart:
• 15Harpsichord Suite No. 2 in D Major: VII. Gigue01:28
• Johann Anastasius Freylinghausen:
• 16Kom regn af det høye03:39
• Anonymous:
• 17Stille er min siel til Gud (Arr. J.B. Jespersen & A. Rasmussen)02:39
• Anonymous:
• 18Sonata No. 19, Libro 3 (Arr. J.F. Fibiger)03:26
• Johann Anastasius Freylinghausen:
• 19I Herrens udvalde, som hellighed øve (Arr. F.C. Breitendich)03:03
• 20Jesu, al min fryd og ære05:50
• Johann Adolph Scheibe (1708 - 1776):
• 21Flute Sonata No. 1 in D Major: III. Andante03:23
• Johann Christoph Bach (1642 - 1703):
• 22Når mit øje, træt af møje, SS 62 (Arr. J.B. Jespersen & A. Rasmussen)03:25
• Johann Adolph Scheibe:
• 23Flute Sonata No. 2 in B Minor: III. Affettuoso03:21
• Anonymous:
• 24Allevegne hvor jeg vanker (Arr. F.C. Breitendich)04:13
• Total Runtime01:13:56

Info for Brorson: The Rare Treasure of Faith

The music and poetry of Pietism offers a beauty that hardly any form of Lutheran religiosity can rival. It is rarely found more radiantly beautiful than in the great collection of hymns Troens rare Klenodie (The Rare Treasure of Faith) by the most important Danish representative of the Pietist movement, Hans Adolph Brorson (1694-1764). The melodies of the sacred Pietist songs are, in their strongly affective nature, in perfect accordance with the fervent and sensual mode of expression found in the texts. Selected from J.A. Freylinghausen’s Geistreiches Gesangbuch and among J.S. Bach’s contributions to Schemelli’s Musicalisches Gesangbuch those melodies are to be heard here, along with related galant music for flute, harpsichord and guitar from the court of the Pietist Danish King Christian VI.

Beate Mordal, soprano
Jakob Bloch Jespersen, bass baritone
Lina León, transverse flute
Fredrik Bock, baroque guitar, charango, theorbo
Dohyo Sol, baroque guitar, mandora
Mattias Frostenson, bass violin
Allan Rasmussen, harpsichord & organ

Phemius Consort
was formed by Jakob Bloch Jespersen and Allan Rasmussen. Phemius was the name of the bard in Homer’s Odyssey who entertained the guests with song and harpplaying at the home of Odysseus in Ithaca while Odysseus was away from home on his journey back from Troy. Odysseus’ wife Penelope considers Phemius’ singing too sad, as it reminds her of her missing husband, so she asks Phemius to sing a less unhappy song. But Telemachus, the son of Odysseus, says that Phemius must be allowed to sing what is in his heart. This becomes a turning-point for the young Telemachus, who then sets off to find his father.

For bass singer Jakob Bloch Jespersen and harpsichordist Allan Rasmussen, the story of the singer and harpist Phemius, who performs the music that is in his heart, was an obvious reference when they were looking for a name for their Baroque ensemble. The present CD is Phemius Consort’s first release and for it Jakob Bloch Jespersen and Allan Rasmussen have hand-picked a team of their ablest colleagues who are particularly suited to Kingo and Early Baroque music. The soprano Else Torp has mainly worked with music from the Baroque as well as newly-written music, in among other contexts as a member of the ensembles Ars Nova Copenhagen and Theatre of Voices. The five-part string consort boasts some of southern Scandinavia’s most sought-after string-players: the first violin is played by the experienced violinist and concert master in Concerto Copenhagen, the Swede Fredrik From. The second violin is in the hands of one of Denmark’s most promising young Baroque violinists, Croatian-born Jesenka Balic Zunic. Two experienced musicians play the two viola parts, Serbian-born Rastko Roknic and Polish-born Gabriel Bania. Both live in southern Sweden, and have for some years been associated with among other ensembles Concerto Copenhagen, as has the English-born cellist Thomas Pitt. He too has been living for many years outside his native England, for example in Holland, Denmark and Finland. The Swede Fredrik Bock plays lute, theorbo and Baroque guitar on this release. He is one of Scandinavia’s busiest lutenists and is a regular member of among other ensembles the Norwegian Barokksolisterne.

The bass singer Jakob Bloch Jespersen is sought-after as a concert singer all over Europe with a repertoire ranging from the 17th to the 21st century. He appears frequently with ensembles such as Concerto Copenhagen, Nieuwe Philharmonie Utrecht, Kammerensemble Neue Musik Berlin, and Theatre of Voices.

On a daily basis, harpsichordist and organist Allan Rasmussen is the organist at Frederiksberg Church. In addition he pursues an active career as a soloist and chamber musician in many international contexts, first and foremost with the ensembles Arte dei Suonatori and Les Ambassadeurs.

Booklet for Brorson: The Rare Treasure of Faith