Over the years, I have found Telemann's sacred vocal works to represent his
greatest achievements. The Capriccio and CPO labels have primarily been
responsible in recent years for bringing these works to the record buying
population.
Hanssler recently issued a disc of three Telemann festive cantatas
performed by the period instrument group, Hannoverersche Hofkapelle, and
conducted by Ulrich Stotzel. When I first read of this release, I was
interested by the repertoire and the fact that Hanssler generally produces
baroque sacred works on modern instruments conducted by Rilling. To my
surprise, the Hanssler disc was on the shelves at Hastings, and I bought
it a few days ago.
These are certainly festive works; trumpets and drums play a significant
role, and heroic choruses and arias dominate the proceedings. Overall,
these three cantatas do not show Telemann at his best. Although fine
baroque pieces, none of the cantatas contains particularly memorable music
except for the choral passages. The same can be said of the soloists; they
are competent but do not stand out. I'm probably being too harsh, but I
had high expectations based on previous purchases.
Summing up, if you're interested in Telemann sacred works, your best bet
is to seek out some of those Capriccio and CPO releases. If, like me, you
already have those releases, the Hanssler disc is a worthy although not
essential acquisition. I do congratulate Hanssler for finally recording
baroque sacred music on period instruments. Also, the cover art, as
typical of Hanssler, is attractive and has a festive aura to it. The
recorded sound is outstanding - crisp and rich with orchestra, chorus, and
soloists ideally positioned. German, English, and French translations are
provided.
Sticking with Baroque sacred works, BIS has just released volume nine
of its Bach cantata series directed by Suzuki. I consider each volume an
essential acquisition. I just hope this series gets completed before I do.
Don Satz
[log in to unmask]
|