Now comes an equally welcome new release from CPO www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/home of Telemann’s Oratorio: Herr Gott, dich loben wir (Lord God, we praise you) and Serenata: O erhabnes Glück der Ehe (O
sublime happiness of marriage) performed by Das Kleine Konzert www.rheinischekantorei.de directed by Hermann Max www.hermann-max.de with soloists Hannah Morrison (soprano) www.hannahmorrison.eu/nl/index.html,
Margot Oitzinger (alto) www.oitzinger.com
Markus Schafer (tenor) www.tenor-markus-schaefer.de Immo Schroder (tenor) www.immo-schroeder-tenor.de,
Matthias Vieweg (bass) www.matthiasvieweg.de
and Christos Pelekanos (bass).
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| 2CD 777 808-2 |
Composed, in 1732, during his Hamburg years, both the Oratorio:
Herr Gott, dich loben wir and Serenata: O erhabnes Glück der Ehe were
written for the golden wedding anniversary of the Hamburg City Councillor
Matthias Mutzenbecher and his wife Maria Catharina. The excellent booklet notes
by Eckart Kleßmann tell us of Mutzenbecher’s business and civic life in Hamburg
and that parts one and two of the Oratorio were played before and after the
blessing. The Serenata, a secular
work, was played during the festive banquet.
Oratorio: Herr Gott,
dich loben wir (Lord God, we praise you) (TVWV 11:15a/b) following the
usual form of Choral, Recitative and Aria, Telemann adds drama to the Recitatives
that lifts them from being merely linking passages, particularly in the
expressive performances that these soloists bring. Unfortunately the booklet
does not make it clear which of the two tenors and two basses are performing in
the various sections.
The opening Choral
has Das Kleine Konzert adding a brilliance with a fine blend of voices from the
soloists. In the attractive aria Lass
nebst den starken Cherubinen soprano, Hannah Morrison has an appealing,
flexible voice with some lovely wind sounds from the ensemble. The Recitative Hier nähert sich zu deines Thrones Füßen the bass provides some
lovely timbres, full of expression.
I love the sonorities that these singers achieve in the Choral Dein göttlich Macht und Herrlichkeit
with fine sounds from the ensemble, some lovely mellow brass.
The Recitative So
recht, ihr graubekrönten beiden is beautifully handled by the tenor who has
a fine clarity of voice. The tuttis are terrifically done with a fine blend of
voices and instruments.
There is a terrific facility to Telemann’s writing in the
instrumental opening of the Aria Paar, dem tausend andre weichen, so well played by Das Kleine
Konzert, with the bass bringing a strength, richness and fine dynamics to this
fine aria.
There is a lovely, joyful Aria/Tutti Erschallender
Logesang and an an impressive Choral
Es danke, Gott, und lobe dich with
the choir and brass resounding in the ample acoustic of the Knechtsteden Basilika.
Another lovely Aria is Wundergott von Tat und Namen with deep
rich tones and terrific flexibility from the bass, whilst Ermüdet nicht, ihr Vaterhände, the longest aria, receives some
exceptionally beautiful singing from the tenor, full of expression and a lovely
contribution from the ensemble.
Another fine Aria/tutti
is Wirst du unsre Tage mehren, a
lovely forward moving aria Telemann at his finest before the concluding Choral Täglich, Herr Gott, wir loben dich. The acoustic of the
Knechtsteden Basilika, Germany gives a nice openness without excessive
reverberation.
Serenata: O erhabnes
Glück der Ehe (O sublime happiness of marriage)(TVWV 11: 15c), a setting of texts by Michael Richey (1678-1761),
concerns the ‘contention of the worldly blessings of the state of marriage’ and
features the allegorical figures of Love, Fertility, Nurture, Honour and
Longevity.
The Serenata opens, surprisingly, with an Aria O erhabenes Glück der Ehe with some lovely long held notes from
soprano Hannah Morrison above the
other soloists. Tenor Immo Schröder,
as Eucharius, brings fine expressive singing as well as flexibility and clarity
to the Recitative Ich lasse die Erfahrung sprechen,
qualities he also bring to the Aria Im scherzenden Bande vereinter Gemüter with
its lovely instrumental opening.
It is Schröder
again that brings an attractive lightness of touch in the Aria Erlaubet mir, ihr
hocherfahrnen beide with a lovely flute and harpsichord entry.
Matthius Vieweg,
as Polycarpus, brings his fine rich tones to the Aria - Recitative Wem sein
Geschlecht, the Aria Der lebt gedoppelt auf der Welt, full of strength and expression,
a terrific aria, full of rhythmic buoyancy, brilliantly sung.
In the Aria Wo der Brotkorb niedrig hänget bass, Christos Pelekanos, as Trophimus, if
lacking the ultimate dexterity of the other bass, is excellent, rich, firm and
completely in control.
Margot Oitzinger
as Philotimus makes her first solo entry in the Recitative O niedrige
Vollkommenheiten with her lovely fresh alto voice that she uses to great
effect in the Aria Die Ehre wirft bei Wohlvermählten bringing
some fine, flexible singing, so light
and buoyant, a lovely performance.
The Recitative Ich muss in euren Sachen reveals Markus Schäfer’s rich, firm,
characterful voice as Macobius, full of expression as indeed he is in the Aria Edle
Krone grauer Haare, another of Telemann’s fine arias with some lovely
instrumental sounds from the lower instruments, lovely sonorities. Schäfer’s flexibility and freedom of
expression is quite wonderful.
The glorious voice of Hannah
Morrison returns in the Aria Wo so viel Strahlen sich vereinen with a
lovely luminescence, never shrill, but always clear and bright. A lovely voice.
The Aria – Recitative Der hat es auf der Welt im Vorzug is one of a number of sections
that bring together various of the soloists, in this case five of the singers
who work so well together as, in the Aria
Teure Seelen, bleibt vertraut! where
the lovely flexible voice of tenor Immo Schröder
and deep flexible voice of bass Matthias
Vierweg combine to great effect.
Telemann gives bass Christos
Pelekanos and alto Margot Oitzinger
the opportunity to show how well they blend in some lovely long drawn phrases
in the Aria Gehäufter Mittel Überfluss.
The Aria O
allgewaltiges Gesschicke brings all six soloists together to conclude with
the words ‘…do impart the same happiness to more Hamburg fathers.’
With a strong vocal line up and first rate instrumental
ensemble this new issue is a most welcome addition to the available recordings
of Telemann’s music.
There are full texts and English translations and excellent
booklet notes
See also:
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