Werner & Rameau

“Gregor Joseph Werner (1693-1766) is one of the most important, forgotten composers in the history of Hungarian music, and an outstanding figure of 18th century Hungarian church music. From 1728 he was court Kapellmeister to the Esterházy family, a post in which he was Joseph Haydn’s direct predecessor. His work was mainly in the field of sacred music, and his nineteen oratorios in German – one of which is Der verlorne Sohn (The Lost Son), one of which is performed in concert, and twelve of which are preserved in manuscript scores in the National Széchényi Library in Budapest – are outstanding works of the genre.

French Baroque keyboard music, including the compositions of Jean-Philippe Rameau, formed an integral part of György Cziffra‘s oeuvre. One of France’s most famous composers and a musical theoretic genius, primarily his operas, in addition to his solo and chamber music for instruments, made him a famous composer. The second act of his opera Les Surprises de l’Amour, premiered in 1748, Adonis, was, according to contemporary sources, performed at court as a solo work. The score of the first version of the opera has recently been published as part of the Bärenreiter Rameau Complete Edition, making this modern performance of the work a worldwide niche. The lives of the characters, torn between love and chastity, are shaped and guided by the gods, ultimately shaping the story to the audience’s liking.