Bergen Barokk is undertaking a complete recording of Telemann's 72-cantata Harmonischer Gottes-Dienst cycle, a project in collaboration with The Grieg Academy and Toccata Classics.
Performer Biography
Peter Holtslag, the transverse flute player on this recording, was inspired by Frans Brüggen and has toured worldwide, performing with notable ensembles like The English Concert and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.
Composition History
Telemann's Harmonischer Gottes-Dienst is a complete liturgical cycle of 72 cantatas, intended for general use in church or at home.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Telemann preferred new, unpublished texts for his cantatas, especially from promising young poets, and explained this in the preface to Harmonischer Gottes-Dienst.
Historical Context
In 1758, Johann Ernst Bach, a Kapellmeister and nephew of Johann Sebastian Bach, noted that Telemann's annual cantata series was performed in most Protestant churches in Germany.
Compositional Technique
Telemann's cantatas often feature two da capo arias with a recitative between them, a form common in Italian cantatas and operas of his time.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Telemann, a practical musician, included instructions in his Harmonischer Gottes-Dienst for performing the cantatas with instruments only, in addition to their use with voices.
