It is only fairly recently
that the exploration of Telemann’s sacred
vocal music has begun. For a long time
only his instrumental music was given
attention. The fact that Telemann was
responsible for the composition and
performance of church music in Hamburg
for the largest part of his life was
easily overlooked. The more I hear his
vocal music the more I am impressed
by its quality. There is no doubt that
it is different from the church music
of Bach, for example. Telemann worked
in different circumstances, and he also
was more in line with the newest trends
in music. This is partly the reason
why his music was very popular in his
time, and publications of his music
were very much in demand.
This disc brings music
written for the period of Advent and
Christmas. Four cantatas in different
scorings are performed, and a setting
of the Magnificat, in which Telemann
uses the German translation by Martin
Luther.
The disc opens with
a cantata for the first Sunday of Advent.
Its title refers to the Word and the
Sacrament - the Holy Supper - as the
means through which Jesus comes to his
people: "Through Thy Word and Sacrament
you want to come close to him who acknowledges
you". It describes the effect of Jesus's
coming in the flesh: "I am a chosen
Christian for whom there is no condemnation
in life and death". The cantata begins
with a chorus in which two chorale melodies
are used: 'Nun komm der Heiden Heiland',
and 'Kommt her zu mir, spricht Gottes
Sohn'. Then follows an aria for soprano
- beautifully sung here by Susanne Rydén
- in two sections, which suggests a
da capo structure. The second section
is followed by a stanza from the hymn
'Nun komm der Heiden Heiland'. The two
next arias are for alto and bass respectively.
The bass aria is written in the form
of a French overture, which refers to
the entrance of a king; also used this
way by Bach, for instance. With the
closing chorale Telemann returns to
the hymn 'Kommt her zu mir'.
The next cantata is
for soprano, recorder and basso continuo,
and comes from the 'Harmonischer Gottesdienst',
a collection of cantatas for solo voice,
one instrument and basso continuo, which
was published in 1725-26. Because of
this modest scoring these cantatas could
be performed in churches with limited
possibilities as well as at home. The
opening phrase, "Sheer bliss, sheer
joy reigns in my stirred breast" reflects
the uplifting character of Advent. But
the next recitative - sung with the
right amount of rhythmic freedom - casts
a shadow on the joy as it refers to
some people's refusal to follow Jesus's
teachings and their love for earthly
things. In the last aria the contrast
between the world which laughs about
the Christian faith and those who find
their joy in God is eloquently expressed.
The laughing of the world is vividly
depicted by a repeat of the same note
in the parts of soprano and recorder.
I like the ornamentation Susanne Rydén
applies here, but I feel she is exaggerating
a little now and then.
There is also plenty
of text illustration in Telemann's setting
of the Magnificat. There are ascending
figures on "erhebt den Herrn" (exalts
the Lord) and descending figures on
"stößet die Gewaltigen vom
Stuhl" (has pushed the mighty from their
seat). The pushing is depicted by the
staccatos on "stößet", the
power of God (He has shewed might in
his arm) by a unison passage of choir
and orchestra and the scattering of
the proud by the splitting up of the
choral texture into a sequence of short
motifs. The doxology is sung in the
ninth mode, a reference to tradition.
Like Bach, Telemann has divided the
Magnificat into a number of sections
which are sung by either the soloists
or the choir.
The fourth item is
again a solo cantata, for high voice.
It is sung by the tenor - not by the
soprano as the booklet indicates - with
two instruments and basso continuo.
It comes from the 'Fortsetzung des Harmonischen
Gottesdienstes', the second collection
of sacred 'chamber' cantatas, which
was published in 1731-32. This cantata
sings about the intense joy the sight
of the new-born child induces: "Holy
child, let me clasp you at my heart
with rapture". In the last aria Telemann
uses ascending and descending scales
on the words "steige, falle" (rise,
fall, surge, swell with holy joy). Andreas
Karasiak sings this cantata well, but
I don't find his voice very pleasing,
and he could use a little less vibrato.
The instrumental parts were originally
written for trumpet and violin, but
Telemann suggests the oboe as alternative
for the trumpet, and that is how the
cantata is performed here.
The trumpet appears
in the last cantata on this disc, written
for bass, chorus and orchestra. This
refers to the appearance of the angels
to the shepherds, telling them that
Jesus has been born. The cantata begins
with the first stanza of the hymn 'Allein
Gott in der Höh sei Ehr'. After
a recitative the choir sings the words
of the chorus of angels: "Praise to
God in his high heaven". Then follows
an aria, in which the trumpet is involved
- here played muted. This is about the
joy the announcement of the angels brings
in that the sinners are now becoming
inheritors of heaven. In the next recitative
the bass vividly portrays the effects
on Satan and his followers: "the Prince
of Peace has crushed the serpent's head
to dust". After another aria, in which
Jesus is hailed, the bass asks him in
a recitative to leave his cradle and
move into his heart. This motif is picked
up in the closing chorale. Sebastian
Noack gives an excellent performance,
with a very eloquent interpretation
of the recitatives.
I am very pleased by
the performance of the sacred works
on this disc. As far as the soloists
are concerned I am most happy with the
contributions of Susanne Rydén
and Sebastian Noack. Britta Schwarz,
whose part is rather small, isn't bad,
but uses too much vibrato for my taste,
and the same is true of Andreas Karasiak.
Putting aside historical arguments for
or against performances of this kind
of music with one voice per part, I
doubt that such a performance could
be realised with the singers involved
here: all the signs are that their voices
would not blend well. The choir is rather
small: three voices per part. I hadn't
heard it before and it certainly makes
a very good impression. The interpretation
of the chorales, though, is disappointing
as they are sung with too much legato.
The orchestra plays one instrument per
part, which comes pretty close to the
circumstances under which Telemann's
cantatas would have been performed in
churches in Hamburg. There are some
excellent contributions by members of
the ensemble in the obbligato parts
in some of the cantatas and arias.
The booklet contains
informative liner notes in German and
all the lyrics. The English translations
are disappointing: the liner notes are
abridged, and the translations are often
too neutral and bland, missing the emotional
connotation of the original.
To sum up: this is
a most welcome addition to the growing
list of recordings of Telemann's sacred
oeuvre, and a recommendable alternative
to the usual repertoire performed during
the Advent and Christmas period.
Johan van Veen
Susanne Rydén, soprano 
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