Dieterich Buxtehude – Opera Omnia is a project to record the complete works (in Latin: opera omnia) of the Danish Baroque composer Dieterich Buxtehude, completed in October 2014 and released on Challenge Records.

History

After Ton Koopman and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir had finished a recording of the complete cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach they began in 2005 the project "Dieterich Buxtehude - Opera Omnia" to record the complete works of Dieterich Buxtehude. Koopman is the president of the "International Dieterich Buxtehude Society" since 2004. As of November 2014, all twenty volumes (on 30 CDs) have been released.

Singers

Soloists for the Buxtehude project who performed also in the Bach cantata project before have included sopranos Caroline Stam and Johannette Zomer, alto Bogna Bartosz, tenor Jörg Dürmüller, and bass Klaus Mertens. Singers new for the Buxtehude have included sopranos Bettina Pahn, Miriam Meyer, Siri Thornhill, Orlanda Velez Isidro, Dorothee Wohlgemuth, altos Robin Blaze, Patrick Van Goethem, Hugo Naessens, Daniel Taylor, tenor Andreas Karasiak and bass Donald Bentvelsen.

Volumes

The works are grouped according to their scoring in harpsichord works, organ works, and vocal works. Koopman himself plays the harpsichord and the organ. The organ works were recorded in different German churches on Baroque organs with different characteristics from a small village organ to one of the major organs of Hamburg. Organ Works 1 was recorded on the Coci/Klapmeyer organ at the St. Nicolai Kirche (pictured) in Altenbruch, restored by Jürgen Ahrend (pictured, 2003/04). Organ Works 2 was recorded on the Wilde/Schnitger organ at the St. Jacobi Kirche (pictured) in Lüdingworth, restored by Jürgen Ahrend (pictured, #107). Organ Works 3 was recorded on the Schnitger organ 1693 in St. Jacobi, Hamburg. Organ Works 4 was recorded on the Gercke/Herbst organ in the Dorfkirche Basedow (pictured) in Basedow. Organ Works 5 was recorded on the Bielfeldt organ (1736) in the St. Wilhadi Kirche in Stade. In an overview the works are given by their number in the BuxWV, the catalogue of the composer's works.

Sources