For this release, Simone Eckert takes a stripped-down approach to Telemann. Granted, Telemann’s sacred music sounds glorious with a large chorus and supporting orchestra. But the reality was different. Most German courts had modest resources, with only a few singers and a handful of instruments. The cantatas recorded here could all be considered chamber works […]
Hanna Zumsande
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Christmas in Leipzig traces tradition of excellence
This album is about tradition. It’s a live recording of the Christmas concert held in Thomaskirche, Leipzig – a long-running tradition. It features three cantatas based on the traditional Lutheran chorale, Von Himmel Hoch The works were composed by three Cantors of Thomaskirche, illustrating the evolution of German choral composition. These were also the three […]
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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 […]