Commemorating the 70th anniversary of Hugo Distler’s death, two successful vocal ensembles from Leipzig perform together on a single CD for the first time. The three- and four-voice motets recorded by the young ladies of the Sjaella sextet and the five young gentlemen of the Ensemble Nobiles represent some of the highlights from Distler’s choral oeuvre: the Jahrkreis op.5, and the Geistliche Chormusik op.12. One of the composer’s best-known works, the Totentanz op.12 no.2, stands at the heart of this disc.

The fourteen motets for Eternity Sunday contained in the Totentanz op.12 no.2 were set to music by Hugo Distler and form the work’s musical part. Distler accompanies the motets with non-musical verses that narrate a dialogue between death and his numerous victims.