Heinrich Schutz first seriously strudied the art of composing church music not in his native Germany but in Venice, where he spent three years under the tutelage of the ageing Giovanni Gabrieli.
The result of this and a few further years of labour was a set of works that ranks among his most sumptuous and spectacular achievements. Published in 1619 when the composer was in his early thirtties, this set of 26 ''Psalms of David'' positively thrills with Venetian ideas and sonorities. Though the words are in German, the spirit of the music reveals the full sincerity of Schutz's debt to his master, especially in the handling of polychoral effects and the rich instrumental scoring.
This is wonderful music; and when the full set of pieces, directed by Hanns-Martin Schneidt, first appeared on three LPs, the result was greeted with unmuted enthusiasm. I'm only sorry that for this CD release the first 16 pieces have been discarded. On the other hand, the ten that do appear here have the virtue of being the grandest of all, and although they may not always be the subtlest settings in the collection, their ceremonial qualities are rarely less than thrilling. At his most extravagant, Schutz even went so far as to add trumpets and drums to the three choirs of Psalm 136, Danket dem Herren. Even in more restrained mood, however, the music is very special indeed, particularly in the affective setting of verses from Jeremiah, 1st nicht Ephraim mein teurer Sohn. In general, the performances are as solid as the pieces themselves; a little complacent at times, perhaps, and not without some small problems over tuning, but nevertheless imposing and highly musical. In their digitally refurbished form, the recordings too are very adequate, if lacking just something in presence and sense of space. A fine release, warmly recommended.'