Telemann Socrates

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681 – 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family's wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hildesheim, Telemann entered the University of Leipzig to study law, but eventually settled on a career in music. He held important positions in Leipzig, Sorau, Eisenach and Frankfurt before settling in Hamburg in 1721, where he became musical director of the city's five main churches.

Jan Nigges is the flautist of the young ensemble "Four Times Baroque", which won an opus classical prize as newcomer of the Year for his first album with Deutsche harmonia mundi.

Jan Nigges is the flutist of the young ensemble "Four Times Baroque", which won an Opus-Klassik prize as newcomer of the year for its first album on the German harmonia mundi label. For this recording on dhm he has joined forces with an ensemble of musician friends and the soprano Sibylla Elsing to record works by Telemann, Handel, Fasch and Pez From Georg Friedrich Telemann (1681-1767) they chose the entertaining seven-part Overture (Suite) in A minor for recorder, strings and basso continuo, which is followed by the aria "Oh wer kann von Liebe sagen" for soprano and recorder from the cantata "Darin ist erschienen die Liebe Gottes" sung by Sibylla Elsing. The recorder concerto in F major by Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758), discovered only a few years ago, and the Concerto Pastorale in F major for two recorders, strings and basso continuo by Johann Christoph Pez (1664-1716) are a discovery. The recorder played by Jan Nigges is also the partner of the soprano in two further arias: "Va godendo vezzoso e bello" from the opera "Xerxes" by Georg Friedrich Händel (1685-1759) as well as "Mich tröstt die Hoffnung" from Telemann's opera "Der geduldige Sokrates"

The depiction of philosophers and philosophy in early modern music is varied and colourful, at times tragicomic and by no means always 'historically informed'.The noble but mocked Seneca in Monteverdi's Poppea, the hen-pecked, polygamous Socrates in Telemann's Der geduldige Sokrates, the tipple-loving Diogenes and Aristotle in the ballad songs of Leveridge and Lampe, and the lovestruck Heraclitus and Democritus in the more serious duets. There are also the trios and laments of Carissimi, Purcell, Strozzi, Couperin and Jean-Baptise Stuck.Heraclitus and Democritus, two pre-Socratic 5th century thinkers, were particularly fruitful subjects for depiction due to their association with two polar effects: Heraclitus came to be known as the 'weeping philosopher' and was often contrasted in artistic depictions with Democritus, the 'laughing philosopher'.Far from being detached oracles rhetorically dispensing wisdom, these philosopher-singers are feeling as well as thinking subjects, subject to suffering and (self) derision in equal measure.