This hour features two new, special CDs with early music from the baroque period, featuring pieces from German composers of differing character and style.
The first CD presents four orchestral suites. This is a French composition style that became popular in Germany when many aristocrats greatly admired all the splendour at the French royal court, especially after the building of the Palace of Versailles was completed. Some even sent their bandmasters to France to learn this French style. During the decades around 1700, several volumes of suites were published. They always started with an overture, hence the name ouvertures for most of these suites. The Altberg Ensemble recorded four; we’ll listen to two of them.
Philipp Heinrich Erlebach (1657-1714)
1. Ouverture VI in G minor
Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer (1656-1746)
2. Ouverture IV in D minor
Altberg Ensemble conducted by Jörg-Andreas Bötticher
(CD: Philipp Heinrich Erlebach, Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer, Johann Sigismund Kusser, Johann Fischer: “Ouvertures & Suites” – Dux 1987, 2024)
The second CD records four cantatas from Johann David Heinichen and Georg Philipp Telemann. This type of composition orginated in the first decade of the 18th century, when the sacred concerts of the 17th century were replaced by the Italian style cantata, consisting of recitatives and arias. The cantatas on the CD released by CPO are of an intermediate style. The first work by Telemann is still strongly rooted in the 17th century. The second work is a cantata from Johann David Heinichen: there are no recitatives, just four arias (though three of them rather short). The work ends with a chorale.
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
3. Ach Herr, straf mich nicht in deinem Zorn (TWV 7,3)
Johann David Heinichen (1683-1729)
4. Der Herr ist nahe bei denen, die gebrochenen Herzens sind
Ensemble Polyharmonique, {oh!} Orkiestra conducted by Alexander Schneider
(CD: Georg Philipp Telemann, Johann David Heinichen: “Early Cantatas” – CPO 555 603-2, 2024)
an addition:
Georg Philipp Telemann
5. From: Meines Bleibens ist nicht hier (TWV 1,1101): sinfonia
{oh!} Orkiestra
(CD: see 3-4)
Image: cover CD Altberg Ensemble
