Musen

The fourth volume of our complete recording of Bach's cantatas completes the series of secular cantatas from the composer's years in Leipzig. Seven works are involved here, spanning a period from 1725 to1742, the year of Bach's final secular cantata, BWV 212. Of Bach's occasional compositions, some fifty secular pieces have survived, yet these represent no more than a fraction of what must once have existed. Bach's secular cantatas cover a period of almost exactly three decades.

The three compositions brought together on this CD demonstrates how Telemann could be relied on to compose not only church music for ordinary religious services, but also compose works for extraordinary sacred events and special occasions. Telemann’s dedicatory piece for the church in the St. Hiob-Hospital in Hamburg "Kommt, lasset uns anbeten" is scored for an ensemble that is noticeably smaller than those of his other compositions for the dedication of churches. This does not reflect lesser status, but owes to the small church space. As a result, the composition convinces the listener with its intimacy, while the ensemble limited to a few musicians contributes significantly to the exquisite impression made by this lovingly designed music displaying many beautiful details, above all in the melodic and harmonic spheres. By contrast, the stylistic modernity and wealth of imagination in Telemann’s sung poem 'Geschlagene Pauken, auf!' – which has been recorded here for the first time – makes us sit up and take notice.

Long one of the finest living interpreters of Bach's sacred music, Philippe Herreweghe here adds two secular cantatas to an already distinguished discography. In the festive Vereinigte Zwietracht der wechselnden Saiten and the celebratory Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten, Herreweghe leads his Collegium Vocale, Ghent in performances of rare beauty and great joy. Taking the symbolic roles of Diligence, Honor and Gratitude in one cantata and the scarcely less symbolic roles of Irene, Bellona, Fama, and Pallas in the other, the vocal quartet of Carolyn Sampson, Ingeborg Danz, Mark Padmore, and Peter Kooy performs with brilliant characterizations and consummate artistry.

Ludwig van Beethoven - Trio Parnassus - Complete Piano Trios
5xCD | EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 1,07 GB | Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: MDG "Gold" # Various | Country/Year: Germany 2001
Genre: Classical | Style: Classicism, Piano Trio

There's beauty aplenty in Parnassus' playing… MDG's recording, by placing the piano (which sounds wonderful throughout) slightly back in the acoustic, achieves a believable and wholly satisfying instrumental balance.