Why art thou cast down, O my soul?

Dimitri Stepanowitsch Bortniansky (1751–1825) seems to have composed the majority of his liturgical works and most of his Sacred Concertos in the 1780s and 1790s, before he was appointed Kapellmeister to the court ensemble in St. Petersburg.

Heidi Kirmße has added a German singing text to the five most popular pieces from the complete volume (CV 4.111). The festive Concerto no. 6 Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe is for Christmas, and no. 9 Heut ist der Tag, den Gott, der Herr, gemacht for Easter. No. 15 Lasst uns singen, kommt herbei is in the major key and is a very effective piece. Tchaikovsky edited Bortniansky’s sacred works and is said to have particularly admired no. 32 O lass mich, Herr, mein Gott, erkennen mein Ziel. Bortniansky himself probably best liked no. 33 Sag, meine Seele, warum verzagest du? The work was sung at his funeral.

• addition to the choral repertoire with works from the Orthodox liturgy/ Eastern Europe
• includes the original Church Slavonic text underlaid (in transliteration).
• effective solo/tutti alternations

Biblical text: Ps 41 (42), 22 (23), 58 (59)