Korla Awgust Kocor (1822-1904)

[Wheesht]

This Sorbian composer, according to a book quoted on Wikipedia, has been called the "founding father of secular Sorbian music". There are at least two CDs available, one with selected chamber music:
http://www.servi.de/Shop/contents/de/p152.html (this includes some soundclips)
and another entitled Sorbian Wedding apparently with orchestra (my linguistic powers are virtually non-existant here...):
http://www.domowina-verlag.de/hs/titule/126-serbski-kwas-sorbische-hochzeit-cd

[Aramiarz]

Dear Wheesht, thank You for this recomendation, I will research the links

[Wheesht]

I have finally got the double CD with the Sorbian Wedding (Serbski Kwas). Obtaining it was a somewhat lengthy and complicated process as the on-line shop does not provide an option to pay by credit card – you have to wait to be invoiced and then pay by bank transfer or money order –, but to me it was definitely worth it. The work was created in 1846/7 and revised in 1848-50. The Lusatian composer was obviously inspired by the great success of the first Sorbian Sing Fest that he had organised as 23-year-old in 1845. In the Wedding cantata (referred to as an oratorio by Kocor) the music has a certain 'folksy' atmosphere but he did not use folk lyrics but the work of contemporary poet Handrij Zejler. To my ears it is very attractive, tuneful music that – somewhat to my own surprise – I find myself returning to frequently. The whole work was orchestrated by composer Hubert Kross (born 1934); at the time of its original first performance in the period of the awakening of national consciousness there were no funds available for an orchestral version. Getting acquainted with this 90' work (with soprano, mezzo soprano, tenor, baritone and bass soloists, men's choir and mixed choir and the Orchestra of the Sorbian National ensemble) has certainly whetted my appetite for more Kocor, but that may be hard to come by...