Telemann: Advent & Christmas Cantatas

Ensemble GSO Consort, Otto, Gudrun Sidonie, Seidel, Ingolf

CPO 777 955-2

The Magdeburg Sunday Concerts held ever since 1961 focus on chamber music. Not infrequently, as the present release likewise demonstrates, compositions by Telemann are featured and include works again made available for the everyday concert world in Magdeburg following intensive research investigations and the publication of modern score editions. From the 531st Sunday music concert, the GSOConsort led by the soprano and artistic director Gudrun Sidonie Otto now presents Advent cantata arias with a single vocal part and the continuo in a duet. These arias belong to a single annual cantata cycle published by Telemann from the end of 1726 to the end of 1727. They have been excerpted from church compositions designed with this option in mind, that is, the independent performance of the arias. Telemann revised the arias for publication; in particular, he worked on the precision of the ritornellos, shortening, redesigning, or rewriting them, or eliminated them entirely. Just how carefully the arias have been elaborated is shown both on the formal level and in what in part are complicated and unusual melodic, declamatory-rhythmical, and harmonic processes in an impressive spectrum of musical keys (Hirschmann, 2012). Telemann of course pays close attention to the verbal pictures, often also opposing ones, given in the texts – and does so in a most highly nuanced manner.

CD x 1

CPO

27/10/2016

761203795529