North and central German seventeenth-century Advent and Christmas music has long had a special place in my affections; and it was one of the pieces included on this disc, the cantata Vom Himmel kam der Engel Schar which sparked off my enthusiasm almost 30 years ago. Johann Schelle was Bach's predecessor-but-one as Thomaskantor at Leipzig and among the composers who played a part in the development of the Lutheran sacred cantata. One of the greatest attractions of his music for me is the colourful way in which he deploys instruments to effect striking textual illustration. There is a freshness in Schelle's writing which reflects a stylistically exciting time in German music as composers eagerly embraced new ideas from abroad and began to integrate them with Lutheran hymnody.
Most of the music on this splendid disc is inspired by and, indeed indissolubly linked with, a handful of the greatest German Advent and Christmas hymns. Two of them, Vom Himmel kam der Engel Schar and Nun komm der Heiden Heiland, are by Luther himself though Schelle in fact treats the latter instrumentally as a fantasy for cornetts and trombones. No less impressive than these is Schelle's spirited handling of the hymn Uns ist ein Kind geboren for voices in five parts with solo episodes and a resonant ensemble of trumpets, trombones, violins and continuo which both accompany and punctuate the voices. An unexpected delight in this piece occurs with the quotation of In dulci jubilo by the instruments alone, in which Schelle writes imaginatively for the trombones.
The most highly developed piece on the disc is Schelle's Actus musicus auf Weyh-Nachten, which he performed on Christmas Eve 1683, and which shows the influence of his teacher, Schutz. As its title implies, it is an account of part of the Christmas story based, in this instance, on five Christmas hymns in regular use at Leipzig. The work is in three unequal parts and is further broken up into sections of semplice and accompanied recitative, hymns treated in a variety of ways, and three short but very attractive instrumental 'sonatas', the second of which, a captivating ''Sonatina pastorella'' quoting In dulci jubilo and raucously played by two Rauschpfeiffen is happily repeated in Part 3.
There is need to say little more. This is a satisfying disc which explores largely unfamiliar repertory in an invigorating way. The voices of La Capella Ducale are first-rate-the two solo sopranos Gundula Anders and Mona Spagele give a beautiful account of Ach mein herzliebes Jesulein-and the instrumental playing of Musica Fiata, Cologne under Roland Wilson mostly excellent. Too late for Christmas, alas, but for me this is decidedly music per ogni tempo. Strongly commended.'