George Philipp Telemann, Freiburger Barockorchester, Gottfried von der Goltz - Seliges Erwagen Passions-Oratorium
STYLE: Classical RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 170097- LABEL: Aparte AP175 FORMAT: CD Album ITEMS: 2
Reviewed by Steven Whitehead
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) was a prolific composer of church music - he had to be as he was expected to produce something new every Easter. This recording of Telemann's rare Passion, "Seliges Erwägen (Contemplative Meditations)" finds The Freiburger Barockorchester, directed by violinist Gottfried von der Goltz, in good form and one would not know it was a live recording until the warm and deserved applause at the very end. This is more than just setting to music the story of the Passion of the Christ, such as Bach did, as we hear in this score a succession of meditations. If we know little about its genesis, it is acknowledged that the success of this work was considerable, even more than that of his Passion after Brockes or his oratorio 'The Death Of Jesus'. The musicianship is first rate with great attention to period detail. For example the use of the chalumeaux, an ancestor of the clarinet, enriches the woodwind and certainly caught my attention. Likewise, all the vocalists do well. There are five soloists and an additional four-part choir so there is nowhere to hide. All sing well but if I had to give special praise it would go to soprano Anna Lucia Richter who is, for me, the best of a good ensemble. The music is Baroque and while not as consistently engaging as Bach there is still much to admire but for this non-Lutheran, non-German listener I felt more of an outsider than I do when listening to Johann Sebastian. With the translation of the texts open before me I was able to follow and appreciate what Telemann was trying to do and while I will not be using this in public worship I may return to it as an aid for my private devotions.
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