This is Fourth volume of the vocal works of the influential late 17th century composer Dieterich Buxtehude, and the 11th volume in the Opera Omnia series from Ton Koopman and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Choir and soloists. The double CD set includes shorter vocal works - pieces of varying texts, styles, genres, lengths, formats, and scorings, which would have been performed at the composer’s Abendmusiken.

Dieterich Buxtehude’s vocal music ranks among the most attractive of the late 17th century and forms a climactic point in Lutheran church music between Heinrich Schütz and Johann Sebastian Bach. His Abendmusiken became particularly famous though the large scale oratorios he produced for them. Unfortunately, the music for none of these influential works survived; only printed texts for some of the oratorios are extant today. Recent research, however, turned up evidence that not only oratorios but also shorter vocal works with both German and Latin texts were performed at the Abendmusiken. Hence, the programs for Buxtehude’s winter series of church music concerts may well have resembled the kind of collection gathered in this album – pieces of varying texts, styles, genres, lengths, formats, and scorings.

Ton Koopman is one of the world’s foremost early music specialists and directors. His recording of the complete Bach Cantatas received worldwide acclaim. He is president of the International Dieterich Buxtehude Society and one of the world’s leading authorities on his music.