Carl Otto Nicolai (1810-1849) - Te Deum (1832)

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Composer: Carl Otto Nicolai (1810-1849)
Work: Te Deum (1832)
Performers: Annika RitIеwski (sopran); JuIia GiеbеI (sopran); Vanеssa Bаrkowski (alt); VoIkеr Arndt, (tenor); lngo Witzkе (tenor); Tobias Bеrndt (bass); Andreas SiеIing (orgel);
Sing-Akademie zu BеrIin; Staats- und Domchor BerIin; BerIiner Domkantorei; Kammersymphonie BerIin; Kаi-Uwе Jirkа (conductor)
Painting: Heinrich Justus Schneider (1811-1884) - The Unveiling of the Prince Consort's Statue in the Marketplace at Coburg, 16 August 1865
Image in high resolution: flic.kr/p/2m4ze4d
Further info: imslp.org/wiki...
Listen free: open.spotify.c... (other version)
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(Carl) Otto (Ehrenfried) Nicolai
(Königsberg [now Kaliningrad], 9 June 1810 - Berlin, 11 May 1849)
German composer and conductor. He was the first child of the composer Carl Ernst Daniel Nicolai (1785-1854) and his wife Christiane Wilhelmine (née Lauber). Because of his mother’s physical and mental illness, the marriage was dissolved a few months after Nicolai’s birth. He grew up in the care of foster-parents until 1820, when his father took on responsibility for his education. Nicolai attended the highly regarded Friedrich-Gymnasium in Königsberg, but became so strained by his father’s attempts to make a prodigy of him that at the age of 15 he suffered a complete breakdown and had to leave. In mid-February 1826 he ran away and travelled via Memel to his mother in Breslau. She, however, was unable to look after him, and for the next two years he eked out a living as an itinerant pianist. After falling seriously ill in Stargard, he was helped by a local military court judge. The judge sent Nicolai to Berlin, where he was introduced to Carl Friedrich Zelter. Zelter resolved to support Nicolai and obtained for him a place at the Institut für die Ausbildung von Organisten und Musiklehrer, where he received tuition from Emil Fischer (singing), Ludwig Berger (piano) and Bernhard Klein (composition). The Prussian ambassador Karl von Bunsen eventually persuaded Nicolai to move to Italy. From January 1834 to March 1836 he held the post of organist at the embassy chapel in Rome. At the same time he studied counterpoint and a cappella style with Giuseppe Baini, acquired the nucleus of his considerable collection of early music and took a lively interest in the development of contemporary Italian music. When his period of employment came to an end he had already been nominated honorary music director of the Prussian court, but he stayed on in Italy as a freelance composer for more than a year, searching in vain for a commission to write an opera. Apart from composing a few occasional works, the only success of these years was his appointment to the Accademia Filarmonica in Bologna as maestro compositore onorario.
After many disappointments he was eventually elected assistant Kapellmeister at the Kärntnertortheater in Vienna in 1837. There he gained experience in conducting opera and orchestral works and he composed his first opera, 'Rosmonda d’Inghilterra' which provided him with his first success as a composer in Vienna and Italy. Then he attempted to settle in northern Italy as a freelance composer but some personal disagreements and the failure of his engagement to the singer Erminia Frezzolini caused Nicolai to leave the country in spring 1841, and once again he was drawn to Vienna. After his experiences in Italy, Nicolai soon changed his artistic ideals. In late summer 1841 he was appointed principal conductor of the Hofoper at the Kärntnertor, and was able to concentrate on the operas of Mozart and Beethoven, which he particularly admired. Required by contract to compose German operas, he provided his first original German opera, 'Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor'. In summer 1844 Nicolai undertook a long journey via Prague, Dresden, Leipzig and Berlin to Königsberg, where he performed the Kirchliche Fest-Ouvertüre which he had dedicated to his native town, as part of the festival to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the university. King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia was so impressed that he tried to tempt him to Berlin; Nicolai, however, did not at first respond to the offer. October 1847 saw him installed as Kapellmeister at the Königliches Opernhaus in Berlin and, as Mendelssohn’s successor, artistic director of the cathedral choir. Wishing to reform Prussian church services, he immediately began to compose a series of large-scale religious works. Soon afterwards Nicolai joined the Tonkünstlerverband, a society concerned with the reorganization of Prussian musical life; Die lustigen Weiber eventually received its première, without huge success, on 9 March 1849. Two months later, on 11 May, Nicolai died. On the same day he was elected a member of the Akademie der Künste, but too late to receive the news.

[@pietrolandri6081]

Six months ago you uploaded a Mass. Good to listen to another sacred work of Nicolai. I'm listening right now the first minutes and first impression is of a glorious piece, energetic and, from a counterpoint angle, rigorous, fully in line with German speaking countries traditions

[@stevejones2945]

As a lover of classical sacred music I can't understand why I hadn't heard of Otto Nicolai before.
This Te Deum is an amazing work.

[@robinworth7142]

Superb a great companion piece for his Mass ❤

[@SilvioNobre]

Otto Nicolai é majestoso! Perfeito para começar o dia. ❤️❤️

[@bernadettedebreyne3327]

super :merci

[@tonylamberti9623]

OUTSTANDING CHORAL SETTING OF THE GREAT TE DEUM...LOVE HIS MUSIC POWERFUL FOR BOTH THE SOLOIST AND ORCH....WHAT A POWERFUL WORK..........

[@richardcastromartinez4329]

Una vida muy azarosa que no influyó para nada en su música, llena de victoria y alegría.

[@marcosPRATA918]

Magnífico, instrumentação rica, destaque para os fagotes e oboés.

[@MrCartmannn]

This is such a magnificent composition! Thank you!

[@CanaldeArquitetura]

so beautiful!

[@CanaldeArquitetura]

estupendo coro!

[@olegarioclemente6132]

So beautiful. Pls recommend more similar magnificent choral music! Bravo!

[@Reciclassicat]

Ufff... Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Cherubini, Naumann's Te Deum, Friedrich Hegar's Festkantate zur Zürcher Hochschulweihe, Kunzen's The Hallelujah of Creation....

[@MrRuplenas]

This is a splendid recording, with a just marvelous acoustic. It's unfortunate that the beginning of the first measure is clipped off.

[@cyrillfischlin9264]

Es ist schön, sagt Johanna.

[@hannelorekohler4051]

Wunderbar 😍

[@josepcomaspie8639]

No la coneixia. Maravellosa

[@Reciclassicat]

Et recomanaria també la preciosa Missa en Re major th-cam.com/video/zvgnPSUv50s/w-d-xo.html

[@richardcastromartinez4329]

Dónde está su misa?

[@Reciclassicat]

Aqui la tienes: th-cam.com/video/zvgnPSUv50s/w-d-xo.html

[@just4sax]

a wonderful piece of music!