Today, two recently released recordings with music from Christoph Graupner and Georg Philipp Telemann. “Mein Jesus, nahe doch zu mir – Solo- und Dialog-Kantaten II” from Kirchheimer BachConsort conducte by Florian Heyerick, and “Gulliver’s Travels” from Capricornus Consort Basel.
The German label CPO released many CDs featuring cantatas from Christoph Graupner. Most of these recordings were conducted by Florian Heyerick, the Belgian conductor that has become a specialist in Graupner.
The most recent recording contains five cantatas that are part of the earliest ones he composed after he became capellmeister at Darmstad court. There are two more similarities between these cantatas: they are written for just a few members (like soprano and/or bass, one or two oboes, strings and basso continuo), and all texts were written by the court’s poet, Georg Christian Lehms. Two of the cantatas were written for Lent, one for Easter and two for Sundays in October. We will listen to these last three.
Christoph Graupner (1683-1760)
1. Mein Jesus, nahe doch zu mir (GWV1129/14), cantata for Easter Monday
2. Lass uns in deiner Liebe (GWV 1159/12b), cantata for 18th Sunday after Trinity Sunday
3. Dein Schade ist verzweifelt böse (GWV 1160/12a), cantata for the 19th Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Marie Luise Werneburg, soprano. Dominik Wörner, bass. Kirchheimer BachConsort conducted by Florian Heyerick
(CD: “Mein Jesus, nahe doch zu mir – Solo- und Dialog-Kantaten II” – CPO 555 656-2, 2024)
The second CD features chamber music from Georg Philipp Telemann, who had become friends with Graupner. When he worked in Frankfurt, they sometimes exchanged musicians and many of Telemann’s orchestral overtures survived because Graupner copied them. Telemann’s chamber music is performed often, but certain collections like Essercizii Musici, the fantasies for traverso and the Paris quartets receive a lot more attention than the string sonatas that the Capricornus Consort chose for the CD recording. With these, Telemann demonstrates his mastery of the counterpoint is as good as his contemporaries, including Bach. Notice how a few sonatas have two violo parts; this is a relic of the 17th century, when five voices in instrumental music were the rule.
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
4. Sonata à 5 for two violins, two violas and basso continuo in E minor (TWV 44,5)
5. Trietto for two violins (or traversos) and basso continuo no 3 in D minor (TWV 42,d1)
Capricornus Consort Basel
(CD: “Gulliver’s Travels” – Christophorus CHR 77482, 2025)
In addition:
Georg Philipp Telemann
6. Guilliver Suite for two violins in D major (TWV 40,108)
Capricornus Consort Basel
(CD: zie 4-5)
Image: cover CD Graupner
