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Reviewer: Bertil
van Boer In or about 1760 the aging Georg Philipp Telemann was arguably at the peak of his compositional powers, even after a long and rather illustrious career in Hamburg. Retirement seemed to be not an option at all, and his sinecure was life-long there. But he was not limited to the port city, but rather maintained ties, some of them quite close, with colleagues throughout Germany (and perhaps elsewhere). Chief among these was his godson Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, who was resident harpsichordist at the court of Frederick the Great in Berlin. This allowed him a wide spread of his own work and to obtain various texts for use in Hamburg. This is where the purpose of this disc, another of the issues of the Magdeburg Telemann Festival, comes in. Conductor Hermann Max has chosen a set of cantatas for both Easter (now, as I write this, nearly upon us) and Ascension (in German, Christi Himmelfahrt), occasions that would require a festive set of works. Here, there are two settings of the motet Veni, sancta spiritus to complement the three cantatas presented. Two of the latter date from the last years of Telemann’s life, when he was in transition mode from being a scion of German Baroque composers to absorbing the galant style; the third cantata is by C. P. E. Bach, who in 1756 set it back in Berlin, possibly for performance in Hamburg.
The Bach Cantata appears here
mainly because a Telemann setting of the same text by Leonhard Cochius
(1718–1779) has probably been lost. The notes postulate that Bach’s piece
was the one that Telemann actually performed in Hamburg (hence the cryptic
“Hamburg Fassung”) rather than his own, but this is to my mind hardly
convincing as an argument. That Bach could have sent his godfather the work
(commissioned or not) is not beyond the realm of possibility, but there is
no real evidence that this is indeed the case. Still, the style and setting
all make it an excellent addition to the set. The others were written
shortly thereafter, Trauet, ihr Himmel for Easter in 1760 and Er neigte den
Himmel for Ascension two years later. Both of the Latin motet settings stem
from this same period 1756–1760, and in Lutheran liturgy this was allowed,
although the German version, “Komm, heiliger Geist,” was perhaps done more
frequently. Telemann set both Latin and German versions, choosing the former
for its poetic fluidity and the latter probably simply because it was more
practical. The works are, as one might expect, examples of Telemann’s mature style, with careful attention to text and instrumentation. Of the two motets, the first (TWV 3:83) is a gentle minuet with some nice triplet figurations in the trumpets. The voices flow into each other in a nice stylized dance, but here and there is a bit of counterpoint that seems more traditional. A central section with a solo tenor and twirling violin part interrupts the choral action, which concludes with a powerful Alleluia. The later one (TWV 3:84) begins more solemnly and homophonically in a very different, more modern style. There are unisons and only a nod to counterpoint. It is also appreciably shorter. The first cantata, Trauet, ihr Himmel, is solemn and funereal, with the chorus meandering about until suddenly the full brass enter in a burst of light. It is very effective, and even the sudden twists in choral texture slipping off into some unusual harmony is done with taste and deliberation. The four chorales are mostly solid with little elaboration, save for the trumpets in the finale. The alto aria “Heil! Heil!” with its emphasized leading tone is light and quite modern for the time, but the forceful punctuations of the tenor aria “Sei ganz Triumph” give it a victorious tone. The soft tones of the flutes in the soprano aria “Lass mich die Seeligkeit” are a picture of musical innocent as they flutter about. In the second cantata, “Er neigte den Himmel,” the opening chorus of angels features a ground bass and a slowly unfolding chorus, followed by a triumphal blare of trumpets and drums. When Christ calls upon the multitudes to accept his sacrifice, it is with the same tone, as if they are having the glories of salvation revealed to them by swirling trumpets. The duet between Joy and Faith has violins that twirl about in triplet figures, while the final aria for Reflection is outlined by a steady march. The Bach Cantata maintains roughly the same tone. The Dictum “Gott hat dem Herrn auferwecket” is suitably triumphant, with the usual brass fanfares and chorus with sustained suspensions and homophonic writing of the style of Empfindsamkeit. The remainder follows the Telemann model, even in the final aria “Wie freudig” where a pair of flutes leap about joyously as partners to the soprano. From a
performance standard, Hermann Max keeps his vocal and orchestral forces
moving right along, but without frenetic tempos. He has an absolute mastery
over this style of music, and the ensemble is light and clear, powerful
where it needs to be but never overwhelming. Soprano Veronika Winter has a
clear and precise tone, while alto Margot Oitzinger seems lighter and higher
than I would have expected. This gives their duet in the last Telemann
cantata an almost ethereal sound. Tenor Georg Poplutz continues his
excellent renditions of this sort of music, while baritone Matthias Vieweg
is suitably lighter than a bass might be. All in all, this continues Max’s
excellent explorations of this cantata repertory, all of which deserve
attention. | |
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