“First Performance of Hasse’s ‘Litaniae Lauretanae’ in Cathedral Sound by Dresden Kapellknaben”

The Dresden Kapellknaben singing in the cathedral. © Andreas Gaebler

Dresden. When the Dresdner Kapellknaben sing Johann Adolf Hasse’s “Litaniae Lauretanae” in G on Saturday, May 13th from 4 p.m. in the cathedral sound, they are actively cultivating the legacy of the great court church music, whose conductors were celebrities such as Hasse, Weber and Wagner. At the same time, they are breaking new ground: this music has never been heard in Dresden. Hasse wrote the 8-movement composition as a retired man in Vienna for the imperial family. Musical quotations in the litany from works from his time in Dresden (Te Deum!) create a direct connection from Vienna to Dresden.

The work for soloists, choir and obbligato organ promises exciting listening pleasure in Dresden Cathedral: “Hasse’s personal style is once again unmistakable in this composition, the originality is great as always, the music speaks directly,” says Domkapellmeister Christian Bonath, who composed the work is now performing for the first time with the Kapellknaben and cathedral organist Sebastian Freitag.

www.kapellknaben.de