April is the fourth month of the year. And so the Classics a Day team decided to make classical quartets this month’s theme. One could easily fill up a month of postings with nothing but great string quartets. But I decided to explore further. A piano trio is made up of four musicians. So is […]
Georg Philipp Telemann
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Andrea Coen performs Telemann’s Klein Kammermusik — solo
The Kleine Kammermusik of Georg Philipp Telemann was never set in stone. Well, perhaps etched in metal for publishing, but you know what I mean. As Telemann conceived them, these six partitas were simple for a melodic instrument with basso continuo. In 1716, such collections were common for amateur and professional musicians. Telemann’s melodies could be performed […]
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Early Telemann cantatas still show great skill
This release features three Georg Philipp Telemann works for countertenor. More precisely, it presents three early works by Telemman (for countertenor). Not that I could hear much difference. Telemann in his twenties was already a skilled composer. There are no awkward moments in any of these works. And while his style grew in complexity, these pieces benefit […]
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Telemann Inauguration Cantatas interesting sidelights
This release features three cantatas, Georg Philipp Telemann. All were written to mark special occasions. Two were in Hamburg, where Telemann served from 1721 to 1767. One was for the neighboring town of Altona, which didn’t have a resident composer. Altona’s 1744 cantata Geschlagene Pauken, auf was inauguration music for a new school. The music is somewhat […]
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Telemann Moral Cantatas uplift — at least musically
This release combines selections from two self-published works by Georg Philipp Telemann. VI moralische Cantaten and 12 Fantaisies pour la basse de violle sold by subscription in 1735. Alternating between the two collections makes an appealing program. The Six Moral Cantatas are just that — music with a message. And whether the subject is luck, parsimony, time, or hope, the message […]
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Telemann Wind Quintets, Vol. 1 – Pleasantly tuneful
Let’s be clear: the wind ensemble of Telemann’s time was vastly different than the ones we have today. Clarinets, metal flutes, valved brass instruments, and percussion were later additions to the ensemble. The lineup of L’Orfeo Bläserensemble is one Telemann was familiar with: two oboe d’amore, two F horns, and bassoon. Lute and cembalo provide […]
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#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalChristmas Week 1
This is the second year the #ClassicsaDay team went with a Classical Christmas theme. And that’s fine. If you think about it, composers have been writing works for the season as long as there’s been notation to preserve them. For my contributions, I tried to avoid the obvious choices. In the process, I discovered some […]
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Das neugeborne Kindelein – Baroque Cantatas for the Season
This release presents Christmas cantatas from three German Baroque masters: Dieterich Buxtehude, Georg Philipp Telemann, and Johann Sebastian Bach. All three wrote cantatas for each Sunday of the Liturgical calendar. Buxtehude was of the generation before Telemann and Bach and was a model to the younger composers. His cantata Das neugeborne Kindelein opens the program. It’s […]
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Telemann Christmas Oratorios – stellar performances from the Kölner Akademie
For Telemann, 1730-31 was the “year of oratorios.” Given the rich musical resources of Hamburg, he wrote a series of oratorios for the liturgical year. Michael Alexander Willens and the Kölner Akademie perform three of these recently rediscovered works, all centered around Christmas. The Baroque oratorio was closely related to opera, and Telemann wrote accordingly. The […]