Georg Philipp Telemann: Harmonischer Gottes-Dienst, Volume One
This is the first CD in the first complete recording of the 72 cantatas from Georg Philipp Telemann’s collection Harmonischer Gottes-Dienst, published in Hamburg in 1726 – the first complete set of cantatas for the liturgical year to be published. The cantatas are designated for voice, an obbligato instrument (recorder, violin, transverse flute or oboe) and basso continuo, and take the form of two da capo arias with an intervening recitative. Although intended for worship, both public and private, Telemann’s cantatas are a masterly blend of tunefulness with skilled counterpoint and vocal and instrumental virtuosity.
Bergen Barokk
Listen To This Recording:
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Fourth Sunday of Advent – Lauter Wonne, Lauter Freude (TWV 1:1040; Bärenreiter No. 68) (1725t26)
- Aria (Vivace): Lauter Wonne, lauter Freude spielt in meiner regen Brust
- Rezitativ: Dort labet sich ein Kind der Eitelkeit
- Aria: Ein stetes Zagen, ein ewig’s Nagen
- Aria: In gering- und rauhen Schalen spielt der Perlen Silberschein
- Rezitativ: O Eitelkeit, du kluger Sterblicher
- Aria: Nicht uns, nein, nein, nur dir allein
- Aria (Spiritoso): Hemmet den Eifer, verbannet die Rache
- Rezitativ: Was heisst, du sollst nicht ehebrechen
- Aria (Dolce): Ja, ja, ich will den Nächsten lieben
- Aria: Seele, lerne dich erkennen!
- Rezitativ: Ein Vögelchen, dem noch die Glieder zu zart und weich
- Aria (Vivace): So will ich dich mit Freuden küssen
- Aria (Affettuoso): Du bist verflucht, o Schreckensstimme
- Rezitativ: So ist’s: Seitdem bei Edens Baum des ersten Menschen erste Sünde
- Aria (Vivace): Frohlocket, ihr seligen Kinder der Freien!
- Aria (Vivace): Auf ehernen Mauern, auf marmornen Gründen
- Rezitativ: So lange noch der Unbestand den Schüchternen
- Aria (Animoso): Ja, ja, wiederholt nur eure Tücke
First Sunday after Epiphany – In gering- und rauhem Schalen (TWV 1:549; Bärenreiter No. 4) (1725t26)
Fourth Sunday after the Feast of Epiphany – Hemmet den Eifer, verbannet die Rache (TWV 1:941; Bärenreiter No. 8) (1725t26)
Last Sunday before Lent – Seele, lerne dich erkennen (TWV 1:1502; Bärenreiter No. 13) (1725t26)
Fourth Sunday of Lent – Du bist verflucht, o Schreckensstimme (TWV 1:213; Bärenreiter No. 17) (1725t26)
First Sunday after Easter – Auf ehernen Mauern (TWV 1:96; Bärenreiter No. 24) (1725t26)
All Music :
‘Telemann: Harmonischer Gottes-Dienst, Vol. 1, is a great start to what looks to be a promising series, and if subsequent volumes maintain this level of inspiration and dedication, then Telemann fans are going to have to make a lot of room on their record shelves.’
—David Lewis, All Music
Classical Source :
‘The recorded sound perfectly conveys the requisite intimacy; Thorsen’s booklet notes are superb, with much background information and analysis. Full translations of the German texts are provided, as are the biblical texts on which the cantatas are a commentary.’
—William Yeoman, Classical Source
Gramophone :
‘These six cantatas remind us just how far Telemann’s agreeable facility and hospitable contours would have warmed the cockles of his followers, with their intimate and approachable melodies and expertly clear text-setting.’
—Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, Gramophone
MusicWeb International :
‘…Mona Julsrud is an excellent singer whose voice is perfectly suited for this repertoire. Her articulation and diction are very good, which is a prerequisite for a performance of these cantatas. It was also a good idea to engage a language coach who not only gave instructions about the pronunciation of German but also about the differences between modern and 18th-century pronunciation. As a result the texts are very clearly audible and I have not noticed any unidiomatic vowels which are often very hard for non-German speakers. ……All in all, I am very happy with these discs [Vol. 1 and Vol. 5] which shed light on the many qualities of this compelling collection of cantatas.’
—Johan van Veen, MusicWeb International
International Record Revie :
‘An attractive feature of the newcomer [the Telemann: Harmonischer Gottes-Dienst Vol.1 CD] is the high quality of the performances’
—International Record Review, December 1, 2006