Obrecht: Masses Beauty Farm

• Antoine Busnois (1430 - 1492):
• 1 Fortuna desperata 01:50
• Jacob Obrecht (1457 - 1505): Missa Fortuna desperata:
• 2 Missa Fortuna desperata: I. Kyrie 06:41
• 3 Missa Fortuna desperata: II. Gloria 04:54
• 4 Missa Fortuna desperata: III. Credo 09:47
• 5 Missa Fortuna desperata: IV. Sanctus 08:52
• 6 Missa Fortuna desperata: V. Agnus Dei 06:08
• Jacob Obrecht:
• 7 Maria zart, von edler Art 12:53
• Missa Maria zart:
• 8 Missa Maria zart: I. Kyrie 10:09
• 9 Missa Maria zart: II. Gloria 12:57
• 10 Missa Maria zart: III. Credo 01:04
• 11 Missa Maria zart: IV. Sanctus 06:13
• 12 Missa Maria zart: V. Agnus Dei 13:29
• Total Runtime 01:34:57

Info for Obrecht: Masses

The music of the Renaissance appears to reflect little of the dangers, horrors and violent conflicts of its time. Music written during the Hundred Years War or the French invasion of Italy gives hardly any impression to today’s ears of the precariousness of existence of which its composers, singers and listeners must have continually been aware. Nor do the two masses by Jacob Obrecht (1457/8 – 1505) on this recording betray anything of the restless spirit of the age, despite them both being based on models referring to suffering and misery.

Bart Uvyn, countertenor
Jon Etxabe Arzuaga, tenor
Florian Schmitt, tenor
Joachim Höchbauer, bass

Bart Uvyn
started his musical studies at the age of 6 at the conservatory in Destelbergen. He studied the violin and singing. Since 1995, he sang at the Ghent cathedral choir Schola Cantorum, conducted by Canon Michael Ghijs and Filip Martens. In 2003 he started his vocal studies as a countertenor in the Lemmensinstituut in Leuven, where he graduated as a ‘master in music – singing’ in 2008. His teachers were Dina Grossberger and Dirk Snellings (Capilla Flamenca).

Afterwards he specialized in early music at the Lemmensinstituut and at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. He was taught by Peter Kooij, Michael Chance, Rita Dams and Jill Feldman. He also attended master classes with Alexander Oliver, Zeger Vandersteene, Udo Reinemann and Jeannette Fisher.

Bart Uvyn is regulary invited by ensembles such as Capilla Flamenca, Psallentes, Vox Luminis and Sette Voci. He also participated in various projects of the Bach Academy (Christoph Siebert and Philippe Herreweghe) and Bl!ndman [vox]. Bart is also a fixed ensemble member of Currende (Erik Van Nevel) and often participates in projects with Collegium Vocale Gent. In 2010 he sang the role of Philibert Naturel in the opera ‘Rage d’Amours’ by Rob Zuidam conducted by Otto Tausk. In the near future he sings in different productions with Collegium Vocale Gent and Nederlandse Bachvereniging.

Jon Etxabe Arzuaga
was born on a lovely spring day in Tolosa, Basque Country. At the age of fourteen he started singing in a choir. After spending a few years at University studying philosophy, he decided to focus more on music and after some years of singing in many ensembles, his love for music brought him to the Netherlands. Here he studied singing at the Sweelinck Conservatoire in Amsterdam with Udo Reineman and Pierre Mak. Almost immediately after his arrival, he became a member of Cappella Amsterdam. He also sings with other groups such as Capilla Penaflorida and Vokal Consort Berlin.

In this crazy and too often nonsensical world, Jon still likes to believe that music can help us to be better and therefore to do better. Otherwise why keep singing?

Joachim Höchbauer
acquired his basic musical education in his hometown of Regensburg as a member of the Regensburger Domspatzen (Regensburg Cathedral Choir). He first completed his studies in musical pedagogy at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München (University for Music and Performing Arts, Munich), where he was inspired initially by pianist Helmut Deutsch and musicologist Siegfried Mauser. This was followed by postgraduate studies in vocal accompaniment under Prof. Glauß at the Musikhochschule Köln (Cologne University of Music), which he successfully completed in October 2004 by passing the vocal accompaniment examinations. In July 2006, he completed his diploma majoring in Singing, also at the Musikhochschule Köln, under Professor Mechthild Georg.

Joachim Höchbauer has gained valuable artistic inspiration in master classes under Prof. Konrad Jarnot and Prof. Wolfram Rieger, among others.

Having been a member of the Collegium Vocale Gent under Philippe Herreweghe for many years, Joachim Höchbauer is performing increasingly often as a soloist. His solo performances have taken him to Essen Philharmonic, the Ruhrfestspielhaus Recklinghausen, Musiktheater Gelsenkirchen and Konzerthaus Berlin, as well as to Norway, Italy and the USA. In addition, he regularly performs at the Lake Constance Festival and has already been heard in a recital in Carthage, Tunisia.

He has given concerts with Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra, New Philharmonic Orchestra Westphalia, Bergisch Symphony Orchestra and various baroque orchestras such as Rhenish Baroque Orchestra, Capella Augustina (palace concert with Andreas Spering in Brühl), Concerto Brandenburg, Cologne Academy, Collegium Cartusianum (Peter Neumann) and Cologne Baroque Orchestra, among others. Following productions of Siegfried Wagner’s “Der Kobold” (The Goblin) and “Der Heidenkönig” (The Heathen King) at the Stadttheater Fürth, in spring 2007 Joachim Höchbauer gave a guest performance as Chelsias in Handel’s “Susanna” at Stadttheater Koblenz. He has also collaborated on numerous CD recordings.

In August 2008, he performed in concerts at the Young Euro Classic Festival in Beijing and Shanghai, and, in September 2008, he dedicated himself to contemporary music at the Mittersill Composers’ Forum (Austria) as part of the duo “Parkdeck”. 2009 saw performances at the Rheingau Music Festival, the Early Music Festival Stockholm and the Tyrol Festival in Erl, as well as performances in Copenhagen and Israel. This year, Joachim Höchbauer can be seen in Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus in the play “Shoot/Get Treasure/Repeat” (Mark Ravenhill) with music by Monteverdi.

Booklet for Obrecht: Masses