Telemann: Luther Cantatas

$18.99
Label
CPO
Release Date
January 28, 2014
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      TELEMANN, GEORG PHILIPP
    • PERFORMER
      Schwarz, Hunger, Saechsisches Barockorchester, Bach Consort Leipzig, Krumbiegel, Kahle, Thornhill
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      January 28, 2014
    • UPC
      761203775323
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      777753-2
    • LABEL
      CPO
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      1
    • GENRE
      Choral - Secular
    Works ⌄

    1. Dictum: Herr, wir liegen fur dir mit unserm Gebet (All)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Leipzig Bach Consort, Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Performer: Siri Karoline Thornhill, Stefan Kahle, Susanne Krumbiegel, Tobias Hunger, Gotthold Schwarz

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    2. Recitative: Und wenn Gleich Meiner Augen Bach (Bass)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Performer: Gotthold Schwarz

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    3. Aria: Was ich an Gerechtigkeit vor mich selbst besitze (Soprano)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Performer: Siri Karoline Thornhill

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    4. Recitative: Ei, darum flieh ich hin zu dir (Alto)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Performer: Stefan Kahle, Susanne Krumbiegel

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    5. Aria: Weg, ihr sunden, krankt mich nicht (Bass)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Performer: Gotthold Schwarz

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    6. Mitten in der Hollenangst (Chorus)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Leipzig Bach Consort, Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    7. Sinfonie

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    8. Es wollt uns Gott gnadig Sein (Chorus)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Leipzig Bach Consort, Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    9. Duet: Es wollt uns Gott gnadig Sein (Soprano, Bass)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Performer: Siri Karoline Thornhill, Gotthold Schwarz

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    10. So danken, Gott, Und loben dich (Chorus)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Leipzig Bach Consort, Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    11. Duet: So danken, Gott, und loben dich (Alto, Tenor)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Performer: Stefan Kahle, Susanne Krumbiegel, Tobias Hunger

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    12. Es danke Gott, und loben dich (Chorus)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Leipzig Bach Consort, Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    13. Amen (Chorus)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Leipzig Bach Consort, Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    14. Es spricht der unweisen Mund wohl (Chorus)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Leipzig Bach Consort, Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    15. Recitative: Das ist die allgemeine Klage (Alto)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Performer: Stefan Kahle, Susanne Krumbiegel

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    16. Willt du nun fein gut Christe sein (Chorus)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Leipzig Bach Consort, Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    17. Recitative and Dictum: Was ist doch das vor eine Gnaden-Krone (Tenor, Bass)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Performer: Tobias Hunger, Gotthold Schwarz

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    18. Mein Wille sich stets verpflichten (Chorus)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Leipzig Bach Consort, Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    19. So ziehet nun an als die Auserwahlten Gottes (All)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Leipzig Bach Consort, Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Performer: Siri Karoline Thornhill, Stefan Kahle, Susanne Krumbiegel, Tobias Hunger, Gotthold Schwarz

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    20. Aria: Wie selig ist der Christen Leben (Soprano)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Performer: Siri Karoline Thornhill

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    21. Recitative: Ach? wenn doch manche dies bedachten (Tenor)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Performer: Tobias Hunger

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    22. Aria: Jesu, gib mir deinen Geist (Bass)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Performer: Gotthold Schwarz

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    23. All unsre Schuld vergib uns Herr (Chorus)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Leipzig Bach Consort, Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    24. Duet: Wertes Zion, sei getrost (Sooprano, Bass)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Performer: Siri Karoline Thornhill, Gotthold Schwarz

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    25. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott (Chorus)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Leipzig Bach Consort, Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    26. Recitative: Wie's Jesu ging, so ging es seiner Kirche Noch (Tenor)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Performer: Tobias Hunger

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    27. Dictum Seid bose, ihr Volker (All)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Leipzig Bach Consort, Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Performer: Siri Karoline Thornhill, Stefan Kahle, Susanne Krumbiegel, Tobias Hunger, Gotthold Schwarz

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    28. Aria: Zion Wird Nicht Untergehen (Alto, Tenor)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Performer: Stefan Kahle, Susanne Krumbiegel, Tobias Hunger

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz

    29. Hallelujah! (Chorus)

      Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

      Ensemble: Leipzig Bach Consort, Saxon Baroque Orchestra

      Conductor: Gotthold Schwarz




TELEMANN Herr, wir liegen für dir mit unserm Gebet, TWV 1: 781. Es wollt uns Gott genädig sein, TWV 1:544. Es spricht der Unweisen Mund, TWV 1:533a. So ziehet nun an, TWV 1:1390. Wertes Zion, sei getrost, TWV 1: 1606 • Gotthold Schwarz, cond; Siri Karoline Thornhill (sop); Stefan Kahle (ct); Susanne Krumbiegel (alt); Tobias Hunger (ten); Gotthold Schwarz (bs); Bach Consort Leipzig; Sächsisches Barock O (period instruments) • CPO 777 7532 (70:36 Text and Translation)


It is no surprise that Telemann, along with Johann Sebastian Bach and Christoph Graupner, can be considered the main composers of the Lutheran cantata during the first half of the 18th century. After all, the Harmonisches Gottesdienst was meant to provide first-rate but easily performable cantatas in cyclic form for the year for places that were missing larger vocal and instrumental forces, and this published set is only a small tithe of the works that he was to write for the church. Thus, calling this set of five works Luther Cantatas , as the title of the disc has it, rather begs the question of redundancy. Nevertheless, when three texts of that number are by Erdmann Neumeister, the main promoter of the genre, such a rubric should be accepted.


These works are all outgrowths of the Magdeburg Telemann Festival, which annually seems to unearth and perform an almost inexhaustible supply of the composer’s music, and the 21st season was devoted to the theme of his connection with Luther. As was usual with Telemann, the structure of these cantatas varies considerably. The first, Herr, wir liegen für dir , is conventional, with pairs of arias and recitatives bookended by the choral “Dictum” and a final chorale. In the second, the usual recitative is omitted altogether, and it is prefaced by a nicely suspensive sinfonia, while in the third Telemann dispenses with the arias, allowing the threefold choral repetitions (two chorales and a final chorus) to be separated by brief recitatives, the second of which does have a brief devolution into a duet Dictum at the end. The movements can be rather conventional, such as his square setting of A mighty fortress in the final cantata Wertes Zion , or the other chorale tunes. But he also inserts moments of harmonic and melodic boldness, such as the tortuous melismas of the aria “Weg, ihr Sünden” in the first cantata, which get spun out by the bass as if to underscore the text “kränkt mich nicht” (do not constrict or grieve me). The second cantata even ends with a gnarly contrapuntal “Amen” fugue that seems startling, given the almost homophonic nature of the preceding chorales. Telemann is also quite inventive in terms of his use of instrumentation. In the first aria of the first cantata, “Was ich an Gerechtigkeit,” the two flutes (traversos) weave a gentle crystalline minuet around a flowing soprano line that is like a clear brook. In the first duet of the second cantata, Es wollt uns Gott , the oboes are wonderfully throaty, with their darker tone colors emphasizing some curious harmonic inflections that support the parallel thirds of the solo voices. In the last cantata, Telemann uses his high trumpets both as soaring clarion calls and as fanfares. In the chorus, “Seid böse, ihr Völker,” the admonitions of the voices are punctuated by a militaristic brass line, which is suddenly interrupted by plaintive minor-key insertions that provide abrupt and effective dramatic contrast.


In short, these are all excellent examples of the Lutheran church cantata of the time, equal to the same sort of works that were being turned out by Bach over in Leipzig. Conductor Gotthold Schwarz keeps the ensemble clean and crisp, with a nice variety of tempos that emphasize Telemann’s contrasts. He also functions as bass soloist, with a light tone that handles the often twisting lines well. Soprano Siri Thornhill has a bright voice that can sound, as in the aria “Was ich an Gerechtigkeit,” innocent and reticent, just what the Affekt requires. Countertenor Stefan Kahle and alto Susanne Krumbiegel are flexible, as is the precise tone of tenor Tobias Hunger. In short, not only are these fine examples of Telemann’s style in cantata writing, the performances support and present them in a way that promotes their compositional features. My only quibble is that I seem to hear a pair of horns in the background of the straightforward chorale “Ein feste Burg,” which are not mentioned in the list of personnel. That does provide a nice support for the voices, but they should have been mentioned. Other than that, this is a disc that Telemann collectors will want. Recommended.


FANFARE: Bertil van Boer