Music of the Hanseatic Cities / Vol. 4 - Music From Old Hamburg [CD], Europaisches Hanse-ensemble / Manfred Cordes, CD

After making stops in Stralsund, Danzig and Magdeburg, the European Hanseatic Ensemble, under the baton of it's musical guide Manfred Cordes, now reaches the Hanseatic city of Hamburg, which was already a flourishing centre of music in the 17th century. People could afford music, they indulged in it, and a standard was maintained that radiated everywhere. Given such opulence, the choice must have been a real dilemma for the performers involved in this latest production. The recordings were undoubtedly also a distinct pleasure, for they were made at a memorable location - in the New Church in the orgryte district of Gothenburg, where the world's largest mean-tone-tuned organ has been for a quarter of a century. This marvel, completed in 2000, is the secret star of the Hanseatic programme, from which the names of Praetorius, Weckmann and Selle stand out as particularly prominent masters.