Manfred Cordes, & the Hanseatic towns, Volume 2

NOTE: All of the music on this program is from the recording Musik aus dem alten Danzig  (European Hanse Ensemble/Manfred Cordes).  CPO 555 647-2.

Manfred Cordes specialises in music from the 16^th and 17^th centuries and he thinks of himself as a mediator between musicology and music performance. He studied school and church music in Hannover and Berlin, as well as classic philology and vocal pedagogy. He collaborated with several Early Music ensembles as a singer, continuo and trombone player.

In 1993 he founded the ensemble Weser-Renaissance Bremen. More than 60 CD recordings with varied vocal and instrumental settings demonstrate the broad repertoire spectrum of the ensemble and a recognised expertise in the performance practices for music between 1500 and 1700.

Manfred Cordes was instrumental in the development of the Akademie für Alte Musik Bremen in 1986. In 1991 he received his doctorate with a thesis on the interconnection between tonality and affect in Renaissance music, and was appointed professor for music theory at the University of the Arts Bremen in 1994. He was dean of the music department between 1996 and 2005 and later became principal of the University of the Arts, between 2007 and 2012.

Manfred Cordes is the founder and artistic director of the project European Hanseatic Ensemble. The idea for the project is a culmination of his particular affinity with Northern-German music, his interest in the history of the Hanse as a Europe-wide network, as well as his commitment to the professionalisation of young musicians.

After the European Hanseatic Ensemble under the direction of Manfred Cordes made a stop in Stralsund in 2023, the journey now leads to Gdansk. And here too, the travelling company has unearthed numerous 17th century treasures of sacred music; organ pieces, choral movements, fascinating scenes such as the battle of Archangel Michael against his adversary... Once again an image of turbulent times appears before us, in which faith was to be strengthened, not least due to the spirit of music. However, what transpired behind the scenes is thought-provoking – the story of how good Christians and accomplished artists schemingly tried to force each other from their posts is the stuff of historical novels. The accompanying music can be found here.

From Klassik.com:

Manfred Cordes allows the programme to flow without pressure, giving the stylistically different music the space it needs to unfold. The intonation is completely without any clouding; even in the largest instrumentation and wide range, not the slightest flaw is audible. […] High-level, profiled and with an interpretative all-round view of the compositional events there – please continue the journey!