This is the fourth album in the first complete recording of the 72 cantatas from Georg Philipp Telemann’s collection Harmonischer Gottes-Dienst, published in Hamburg in 1726 – the first complete set of cantatas for the liturgical year to appear in print. The cantatas are designated for voice, an obbligato instrument (recorder, violin, transverse flute or oboe) and basso continuo, and generally take the form of two da capo arias with an intervening recitative. Although intended for worship, both public and private, Telemann’s cantatas are a masterly blend of tunefulness with skilled counterpoint and vocal and instrumental virtuosity.
"...The ensemble is overall excellent, with Frnz Vitzhum dead on pitch and shaping each line and ornament with care and attention. The performance is dramatic and yet infused with musical taste. Moreover, he blends with peter Holtslag’s liquid flute playing so well that they almost seem as one. The tempo’s are, as on the other discs both lively and sensitive to the Affekt of the text. The continuo likewise is an omnipresent partner, never overbearing but well integrated into the overall text. Bergen Baroque has continued its march with the same extraordinary quality that brings Telemann’s music to life. This is one that will definately be on my Wish-list for this year, and I for one cannot wait for the next installment.
Bertil van Boer - Fanfare - November/December 2012
"...there is much to enjoy in this music, intuitively played and well recorded ..."
Nicholas Anderson - International Record Review - April 2012
