"Corund's sound is of the Tallis Scholars' ilk -- if a bit plusher -- its women piping like boy sopranos and countertenors, its men light and supple of tone. The ensemble's blend was quite beautiful...Corund's voices [were] as seductive singly as they were in unison."
The Washington Post

"A truly memorable concert, Corund's also was the most spiritually uplifting of the season." Palm Beach Daily News


 

Sample Programs: Complete Motets and Lutheran Masses

ENSEMBLE CORUND
J.S. BACH: THE COMPLETE MOTETS

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
"Der Geist hilft unsrer Schwachheit auf" BWV 226 7'40
"Komm, Jesu, komm" BWV 229 7'45
"Fürchte dich nicht" BWV 228 8'00

Baldassare Galuppi (1706-1785)
Sinfonia a quattro, Nr. 4 c-moll
Grave
Allegro
Andante 10'00

J. S. Bach
"Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied" BWV 225 12'40
Total minutes 1st half 46'
Intermission 15'00

J. S. Bach
"Jesu, meine Freude" BWV 227 20'00
"Lobet den Herrn" BWV 230 5'42
Total minutes 2nd half 25'40
Total minutes with intermission 86'40

8 Singers: 2 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors, 2 basses
10 Instrumentalists: 2 violins, 1 viola, 1 violoncello, 1 violone, 2 oboes, 1 bassoon, 1 organ, 1 harpsichord



ENSEMBLE CORUND
J.S. BACH: LUTHERAN MASSES

Georg Freidrich Handel (1685-1759)
Concerto grosso in b minor, op. 6, nr. 12 12
Largo
Allegro
Aria-Larghetto e piano
Largo
Allegro

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Missa in g minor, BWV 235
for Soli, Choir and Orchestra 30
Kyrie
Gloria in excelsis
Gratias
Domine Fili
Qui tollis
Cum Sancto Spiritu
Total minutes 1st half 42
Intermission 20

J. S. Bach
Missa in G major, BWV 236
for Soli, Choir and Orchestra 30
Kyrie
Gloria in excelsis
Gratias
Domine Deus
Quaniam
Cum Sancto Spiritu
Total minutes 2nd half 30
Total minutes with intermission 92

8 Singers: 2 sopranos, 2 altos, 2 tenors, 2 basses
10 Instrumentalists: 2 violins, 1 viola, 1 violincello, 1 violone, 2 oboes, 1 bassoon, 1 organ, 1 harpsichord
 

Ensemble Corund, the distinguished Swiss vocal ensemble will tour two acclaimed programs during their February - March 2007 tour: The Complete Motets of J.S. Bach for eight singers and ten instrumentalists and the Bach Lutheran Masses for soloists, choir and orchestra. Specializing in the sacred music of the Renaissance and Baroque, and vocal music of the 20th century, Ensemble Corund was founded in Lucerne by artistic director Stephen Smith. The group is comprised of professional soloists, using varied forces as the repertoire requires, and generally tours from eight to twenty vocalists.

The North American tour dates are: February 14 - March 4, 2007.

During recent Ensemble Corund tours, audiences have been treated to the great B Minor Mass of J.S. Bach. "No greater musical setting of the Latin Mass exists than J.S. Bach's Mass in B Minor... "Thirty musicians including ten singers offer "a performance to write home about... for all it's historical accuracy there was no archaic feel, no dry-as-dust perfunctory historic sense, but a bright, vigorous contemporary liveliness to the music from beginning to end." Times Union, Albany, NY

The soloists are the chorus. Lead by conductor Stephen Smith, the voices are joined baroque string instruments, bassoon, oboes, transverse wooden flutes, timpani, valveless brass, and a four-rank continuo organ. "This performance cast some familiar sections of Bach's work in a new sonic light, but it never dishonored the music in the process." Cleveland Plain Dealer

Stephen Smith and his remarkable singers bring the extraordinary work to new life in this "...technically accomplished, musically unmannered and highly soul-satisfying account of Bach's masterpiece" (says The Cleveland Plain Dealer).

Playing favorites - highlights of the arts season
Sunday, May 18, 2003
Palm Beach Daily News

There are only a few more daunting musical tasks than a complete performance of Johann Sebastian Bach's Mass in B minor. Its performance-practice puzzles, intricate counterpoint and virtuosic writing for every part make the mass a monumental challenge for even the most accomplished group.

That the Swiss-based Ensemble Corund undertook it with a choir of 10 and a baroque orchestra of 19 speaks to the talent of director Stephen Smith. At The Society of the Four Arts, the group impressed with its transcendental reading, in which rhythmic vitality was combined with a great deal of pathos. A truly memorable concert, Corund's also was the most spiritually uplifting of the season.