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Georg Philipp TELEMANN (1681 - 1767): "Inauguration Cantatas 1721"
Hanna Zumsande, soprano;
Geneviève Tschumi, contralto;
Mirko Ludwig, tenor;
Klaus Mertens, bass
Hamburger Ratsmusik
Dir: Simone Eckert
rec: Feb 28, 2022 & March 2 - 3, 2023, Wedel-Schulau, Christuskirche
CPO - 555 542-2 (© 2024) (73'58")
Liner-notes: E/D; lyrics - translations: E
Cover & track-list
Scores
Spotify
Es ist ein großer Gewinn (TWV 1,502);
Fantasia for viola da gamba No. 5 in B flat (TWV 40,30)a [1];
Fantasia for viola da gamba No. 9 in C (TWV 40,34)a [1];
Fantasia for viola da gamba No. 10 in E (TWV 40,35)a [1];
Fantasia for viola da gamba No. 12 in E flat (TWV 40,37)a [1];
Gesegnet ist die Zuversicht (TWV 1,616);
Kommt her zu mir alle (TWV 1,1008)
Sources:
[1] Fantaisies pour la basse de violle, 1735
Georg Fritz, Friederike Köhnke, oboe;
Christoph Heidemann, Gabriele Steinfeld, violin;
Bettina Ihrig, viola;
Sven Holger Philippsen, cello;
Simone Eckert, viola da gamba (soloa);
Barbara Messmer, violone;
Christian Walter, bassoon;
Ulrich Wedemeier, theorbo;
Anke Dennert, organ
Georg Philipp Telemann has been one of the most productive composers in music history. The number of sacred cantatas that have survived alone, is astonishing. To that staggering number one has to add those which have been lost. One explanation for the large number is his scheme for composing and performing cantatas in his time as Musikdirektor in Hamburg, as Wolfgang Hirschmann, editor-in-chief of Bärenreiter's Telemann edition, explains in the booklet to the disc under review. "Telemann established an order for sacred music in his first text booklet that he was to stick to until the year of his death in 1767. A complete cantata was to be performed before the sermon, and this was to prepare for the sermon based on the pericope for that Sunday. After the sermon, a second complete sacred work was to be performed, whose connection to the pericope and that particular Sunday of the church year could be a bit looser. The second cantata had more of a 'concertante' character. At the end of the worship service, 'zum Beschluß' (in conclusion) an excerpt from a third cantata, an aria or a chorus (or both) was on the program." In the latter case, the complete cantata was to be performed at a later date.
The present disc is devoted to the inauguration cantatas. In this case, it is not the inauguration of a pastor, for which the cantatas were written - which was also part of the duties of the Musikdirektor. The programme consists of three cantatas which Telemann performed at his own inauguration, on 21 September 1721, which was the 15th Sunday after Trinity. We get here the two complete cantatas as well as the entire cantata from which two excerpts were performed at the end of the service. It is a bit odd that on this disc the three cantatas are placed in reverse order. I'll discuss them in the order in which they were performed during the service.
Like the other two cantatas, Es ist ein großer Gewinn is scored for four voices, two oboes, strings and basso continuo. For his 'presentation' as Musikdirektor Telemann did not write a new work. He rather used a cantata that he had performed in his previous function, as Kantor in Frankfurt/Main. The performance here is based on the Frankfurt autograph. However, for the performance in Hamburg Telemann made several adaptations, as mentioned in the liner-notes. From that angle it is rather odd that we get here the Frankfurt version. That is all the more the case as in the Frankfurt version only two of the three recitatives which separate the arias, are included. The comparison between the two versions in the booklet indicates that the Hamburg version has been preserved, which makes the choice for the Frankfurt version all the more inexplicable.
The Gospel of the 15th Sunday after Trinity was taken from Matthew 6, the Sermon on the Mount. In the pericope of the day, Jesus calls not to worry or be of little faith but to strive after the Kingdom of God. The core of the cantata, on a libretto by Erdmann Neumeister, is to be satisfied with what one is given. Each of the four arias, none of which has a dacapo, opens with the words "Ich bin vergnügt" - I am pleased. The first aria is for soprano: "I am pleased with my status". "How can I ever be greater than being a child of God?" The second aria is for alto: "I am pleased with my means". "[If] another's wealth amounts to tonnes of gold, I still have God's blessing that I can add to my wealth." In the third aria the bass states that he is pleased at his table. "I want nothing more than my daily bread. God will certainly grant me this. And if I have this, then I am not in need." The last aria is for tenor, who says that he is pleased in all things. "I know that every morning, God sends me all that is for my good. Thus I leave all my worries to him, and say once again - I am pleased." As mentioned, the arias are separated by recitatives, all scored for bass, except - in this version - the last two. As so often they include theological reflections on the Gospel of the day. The cantata opens with a chorus on a text from the first letter of St Paul to Timothy (ch 6, vs6): "But godliness with contentment is great gain." It closes with two stanzas of Paul Gerhardt's hymn, Nicht so traurig, nicht so sehr, which is specifically connected to I Timothy 6.
Kommt her zu mir alle was performed after the sermon. As Hirschmann wrote, the connection between second cantata and the Gospel of the day could be a little more loose, and this explains why Telemann performed here a cantata intended for the 3rd Sunday after Trinity. Again it is a work that he had written in Frankfurt, in 1720. The author of the libretto is not known; it is possible that Telemann has written the text himself. The cantata has been preserved in autograph, except the first two sections; these have come down to us in copies by Telemann's successor in Frankfurt, Johann Balthasar König. As he often incorporated music by Telemann in his own cantatas, it is possible that he is the composer of these two sections. The first of these is a sinfonia, which sets stylistically the tone for a cantata which bears the traces of the 17th century, for instance in the dominant role of counterpoint.
The Gospel of the day is taken from Luke 10, where Jesus tells the parabels of the lost sheep and the lost coin. The text may also be inspired by the Epistle, which is from the first letter of St Peter (ch 5), where he urges his readers to cast their cares upon Jesus, as he cares for them. The opening chorus is, as usual, a dictum, taken from Matthew 11 (vs 28): "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." The core of the cantata is in the three recitatives for bass, each of which closes with the same phrase, set as an arioso: "Komm her, komm her zu mir!" (Come, come unto me). The first recitative is followed by a chorale, the sixth stanza of the hymn Herr Jesu Christ, du höchstes Gut (Bartholomäus Ringwaldt, 1588). The ensuing alto aria is about sin and mercy; it includes dissonances. After the next recitative the tenor has an aria about forgiveness: "You do not call me to judgment, for you are moved by my passionate call." At the start he has stated that "[if] you hide your countenance, I will keep running after you." The image of running is illustrated by melismatic coloratura. After the third recitative, the cantata ends with a chorus on the opening verse of Psalm 107, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. And his mercy is everlasting", to which an Alleluia is added.
Gesegnet ist die Zuversicht came at the end of the service; two sections were performed from a cantata which was originally part of the cycle Telemann had written in Eisenach for the ecclesiastical year 1710/11. This cantata is intended for the 7th Sunday after Trinity. It is notable that this cantata was once thought to be written by Bach; in the Schmieder catalogue it is BWV Anh 1. The Gospel of the day is from Mark 8: the feeding of the four thousand. The libretto is from the pen of Erdmann Neumeister. The opening chorus, which starts with a solo for the soprano, is about the confidence in Jesus; the ensuing bass recitative refers to the feeding of the four thousand as evidence of his wealth and a reason to trust him. It turns into an aria for soprano, which has only two lines, which are also part of the opening chorus: "Blessed is confidence: for he does not forsake his own." In 1721 Telemann performed two sections from this cantata: the opening chorus and the chorus that follows the soprano aria, another quotation from the Bible, this time Psalm 34: "O taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man that trusteth in him." It is followed by a chorale, the 10th stanza of the anonymous hymn Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz. A short recitative of the soprano leads to the closing chorus in ABA form: "I want to live happily in Jesus. What shall I want? For he is mine." It opens with a solo for bass, who also sings the B section.
The cantatas are performed with one voice per part, which is in accordance with the performance practice in Telemann's time in Hamburg, where he had only a very small ensemble at his disposal. This line-up makes it particularly important that the voices blend well in the tutti, and that is the case here. Klaus Mertens is in his mid-seventies, but is still going strong. He has one aria to sing, but especially in the recitatives he shows his unique skills: each word is clearly intelligible, even without looking in the booklet. Hanna Zumsande is one of the best in this kind of repertoire; her arias are jewels. Mirko Ludwig also has established himself as a leading interpreter in German baroque repertoire: he has a nice voice and his diction and articulation are excellent. Geneviève Tschumi is a new name to me. I like her voice, which has both clarity and warmth. Now and then she uses a bit more vibrato than I would have liked, but overall I appreciate her performances. The instrumental ensemble is fine, as always.
The ensemble's founder and director, Simone Eckert, has already recorded eight of Telemann's fantasias for viola da gamba solo on previous recordings (*). Since these have been rediscovered, they have been recorded by several leading gambists. Rather than adding another recording, Eckert preferred to mix some of them with vocal
music. The remaining four are inserted here, played in pairs between the cantatas. They are impressive specimens of Telemann's versatility. The Fantasia No. 9 in C, for instance, is a fine example of his command of counterpoint: the first movement is a fugue, the second a pretty strict two-part grave. The fantasia ends with a sparkling allegro. The Fantasia No. 10 in E has a pastoral character; the last movement shows Telemann's interest in traditional music. In the Fantasia No. 12 in E flat Telemann makes use of chromaticism, and in the opening movement of the Fantasia No. 5 in B flat, he explores the high and low registers of the viola da gamba by shifting from the one to the other. It is no surprise that these fantasias have gained a high status among gambists. Simone Eckert's performances do them full justice, and are well up to the competition of any of her colleagues.
As one may understand, this is a disc no lover of Telemann's music should miss.
(*) Moralische Cantaten; Musicalisches Lob Gottes
Johan van Veen (© 2024)
Relevant links:
Mirko Ludwig
Klaus Mertens
Geneviève Tschumi
Hanna Zumsande
Hamburger Ratsmusik