Ars Antiqua Austria, Gunar Letzbor - Fux: Partite a 3 (2011)

This recording of rarely recorded Partitas by the early 18th-century Austrian composer Johann Joseph Fux is performed by Ars Antiqua Austria and its director Gunar Letzbor. The group has forged an impressive reputation for its period instrument interpretation of baroque music, particularly from its homeland.

Ars Antiqua Austria was founded in Linz in 1995 with the aim of introducing audiences to the roots of Austrian baroque music played on period instruments. The music performed at the Imperial Court in Vienna at this time shows the strong influence of Italian and later of French forms, while Spanish court ceremonials also shape the character of the works. The core of Ars Antiqua Austria comprises eight musicians directed by Gunar Letzbor. The ensemble is readily augmented to accommodate a still wider repertoire. Recent recordings by Ars Antiqua Austria on Challenge Classics include discs devoted to the music of Charles Mouthon (CC72336) and Karl Kohaut (CC72323).

The Austrian composer, music theorist, and teacher Johann Joseph Fux lived through the first half of the 18th-century during the late Baroque period. A master of counterpoint, he spent some of his formative years in Italy, and his music is strongly influenced by that of Corelli. As a composer, he is mostly known for his church sonatas, but on this new recording the musicians of Ars Antiqua Austria have chosen to perform a selection of his lesser known Partitas.