The Hanseatic wealth of North Germany in the 17th century is reflected in its magnificent cathedrals, and the enormous grandeur of its church music was composed to fill the rich acoustics of these spaces. This programme presents a wide range of Easter music that displays the wealth of inventiveness in this period, enhancing the texts and finding different colours and surprising effects through improvisation and adaptation of the manuscripts. This early music is brought vividly to life by the acclaimed Margaretha Consort.

"In this second volume of "Legends of the Saints", the Orchester Wiener Akademie, under the direction of conductor and organist Martin Haselböck, continues its recording of Liszt's mystical works. During the frequent religious periods of his life, the composer turned his attention to the lives of great martyrs and saints, who provided him with an entire body of work. These works, including two previously unreleased recordings of Jeanne d'arc au bûcher, Die heilige Caecilia and the Salve Polonia from the oratorio St Stanislaus, are performed here by the Wiener Akademie and a magnificent vocal cast (Sunhae Im, Stephanie Houtzeel and Sofia Vinnik as well as Thomas Hampson), whose timbres blend with the organ, harmonium, piano and harp to reveal the inexhaustible genius of Liszt's work."