The 17th-century Austrian composer Heinrich Biber is remembered today for his extraordinary solo violin music–collections such as the Mystery Sonatas. He wrote a number of large-scale instrumental works and choral pieces as well, but their reputation is not as high. They include a lot of grand gestures for brass, but they tend to be harmonically static and often seem long-winded. So Konrad Junghänel and his superb musicians have really achieved something by making the works on this disc sound so appealing.

Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers are rightly considered to be one of the greatest monuments of Baroque church music. Stephen Stubbs, with the ensembles Tragicomedia and Concerto Palatino, along with a group of top-notch singers, began to perform the Vespers on a yearly basis at the Pieterskerk in Leiden in 1998. The event developed into a musical capella, something like what Monteverdi must have had at St. Mark’s. The beautiful acoustics of the Pieterskerk, the inspirational "voice" of the great organ there, but most of all the warm atmosphere of a yearly “family” event that included both the musicians and the staff and visitors of the church have created what one might be tempted to call the "Leiden Vespers." This is the wonderful experience that has been captured on this exhilarating CD.

A large collection of religious works by two Austrian composers. Bieber's work for 36 voices is a powerful and moving piece, especially for cornets, trumpets, sackbuts and timpani bursts. Here, Junghaner is in charge of the Viennese early music group and Concerto Palatino, who has the best technique and expressiveness in the early music brass system, also contributes to this wonderful performance. It was performed in the mass format at the time, and is recorded with a sonata in front and behind. [Sony Music]