Bach & Telemann: Sacred Cantatas

Featuring

Petra Müllejans
Philippe Jaroussky
Ann-Kathrin Brüggemann
Juan de la Rubia
Anke Nevermann
Freiburger Barockorchester

Johann Sebastian Bach
Georg Philipp Telemann

Did you know?

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Composer Biography

Johann Sebastian Bach was required to produce cantatas regularly, monthly for the Weimar court (1714-1716) and weekly for the Thomaskirche in Leipzig (from 1723).

Composer Biography

Telemann began composing church music at a very young age, producing 'a piece almost every Sunday' as a schoolboy in Zellerfeld (1694-1697).

Composer's Artistic Vision

Telemann stated in his autobiography that he valued church music above all else, spending more time learning from sacred works and composing more of it than anything else.

Composer Biography

Georg Philipp Telemann was an incredibly prolific composer, writing at least 1,700 cantatas, a figure that makes Bach's output of around 300 seem modest.

Compositional Technique

Unlike most of Bach's cantatas, 'Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust' and 'Ich habe genug' are among a small group of twelve cantatas that require only a single singer.

Historical Context

In the early 18th century, the cantata was a multi-movement work performed in Lutheran worship services immediately after the Gospel reading, often providing a moment of repose during three-hour devotions.

Interpretation

For this recording, the vocal parts in Telemann's cantatas 'Die stille Nacht' and 'Jesus liegt in letzten Zügen' have been transposed up an octave to the alto register, following pragmatic performing principles of the period.