Martha von Castelberg (1892-1971) was highly gifted musically. As a daughter of the Zürich private banker Paul Carl Eduard von Orelli (1849-1927) and his wife Beatrice, née von Reding (1865-1929), Martha received private lessons early on in life from the violinist Joseph Ebner, who taught at the Zürich Conservatory. This recording of songs and motets by Martha von Castelberg provides a representative overview of her compositional oeuvre. Her works are complex and challenging, which makes it all the more important that they have been recorded here at a high vocal level.

Founded in 2005, the Basel larynx Vokalensemble, consisting of young, professionally trained singers, has focused on the chamber-music interpretation of little-known but historically important and demanding vocal works. Their voices and programmes are characterised by exceptionality, excellence, freshness and depth.This combination of musical gems on the one hand, and an unmistakably homogeneous ensemble sound and virtuoso individual voices on the other, has impressed and delighted concert audiences and experts alike. In 2012, the larynx Vokalensemble was awarded the Culture Prize of the Canton of Basel-Landschaft for its "innovative approach and its professional quality and excellence".