{"product_id":"telemann-g-p-passion-cantatas","title":"Telemann, G.P.: Passion Cantatas","description":"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eTELEMANN\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003e Passion Cantatas \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12b\"\u003e• \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eKlaus Mertens (bbar); Shalev Ad-El, cond; Accademia Daniel (period instruments) \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12b\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e cpo 777 299 (69:53 \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eText and Translation) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eAch Herr! Lehr uns Bedenken wohl. Der am Ölberg zagende Jesus. Ich will den Kreuzweg gerne gehen. Jesus liegt in letzten Zügen. Was gibst du denn, o meine Seele \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eThe five cantatas presented on this disc share several elements. They are all for solo bass and orchestra, and they all deal in some way with the events of Christ’s passion, either directly or as a reflection on it. Erdmann Neumeister, who composed over 400 cantata texts for Telemann and other composers, wrote that a cantata “looks like nothing so much as a piece out of an opera,” and this element may have been what attracted Telemann to the form. More than 1,400 of Telemann’s cantatas survive. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eDer am Ölberg zagende Jesus\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e deals with Christ’s agonies in the garden of Gethsemane, with three recitatives setting the scene surrounding two arias for Jesus, ending with an aria by the narrator inviting all to contemplate Christ’s sacrifice. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eJesus liegt in letzten Zügen\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e is a meditation on the moment of Christ’s death. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eIch will den Kreuzweg gerne gehen\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e expresses the narrator’s desire to follow the way of the cross in Christ’s footsteps. The other two cantatas are more tangentially connected to the events of the passion, although they mention the passion as motivation for the sinner to prepare for eventual union with his Savior. All of these works demonstrate Telemann’s inventiveness and unfailing gift of melody. Where appropriate, Telemann adds illustrative touches such as at the text “when a harsh wind blows” (tr. 25). The orchestration is basically strings and oboes, with bassoon and keyboard added to the \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003ebasso continuo\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e, and occasional coloring from flute or recorder. All appear to be recording premieres. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eThe performances are very good. Klaus Mertens is well known in the early-music field and has contributed to many recordings of Baroque music. His work here is up to his own high standards. I was not previously acquainted with the work of Israeli conductor and keyboardist Shalev Ad-El. His work here is good; the performances are reasonably paced, and everything flows smoothly. The conductor is the music director of the Israeli period-instrument group Accademia Daniel, which plays these works one player to a part. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eThese artists have combined twice before on programs of Telemann cantatas, one for Hessian Radio and one for cpo. J. F. Weber praised the latter recording (31:5), concluding his review, “Add this disc to your collection, and watch for more.” I agree wholeheartedly. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-weight:bold\"\u003eFANFARE: Ron Salemi \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"CPO","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49655349215512,"sku":"761203729920","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/1494641.jpg?v=1777947714","url":"https:\/\/hbdirect.com\/products\/telemann-g-p-passion-cantatas","provider":"HBDirect","version":"1.0","type":"link"}