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| Boston Baroque in concert at Jordan Hall in Boston |
Just in time for the holidays! From an earlier post, I had lamented the fact that Stereo Jack's in Cambridge is slated to close. Jack is still there as the People's Republic is moving slowly on issuing building permits for the pizzeria which will take the spot and, the building's owner is more then happy to keep collecting rent from Jack. Anyway, I pop in every few weeks and stuff keeps coming in; I was fortunate to come across this splendid recording from Titanic Records with Martin Pearlman and Banchetto Musicale a k a Boston Baroque. I'll always know this wonderful ensemble by the former name, not the name given to them when they signed on with Telarc some 20 odd years ago. The marketing mavens saw more $$$ in a Boston Baroque brand, of course.
Pearlman and Banchetto Musicale were the American pioneers of period performance. Long before anyone else was trying to be HIP, Pearlman, noted violinist Daniel Stepner, harpsichordist John Gibbons, oboist Peggy Pearson were removing the cobwebs off of many chestnuts from the baroque and, introducing audiences to nearly forgotten masters from the baroque. Telemann, believe it or not, was on the fringes when these records were cut in 1980 and its hard to imagine this since today, he has since undergone a reappraisal as one of the greatest and most innovative masters of the 18th century. There are literally hundreds of cds cut within the last 25 years of this incredibly prolific and cosmopolitan genius.
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| Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) |
Though Telemann is best known for his instrumental gems, he did write extensively for the church though his works are admittedly not as contemplative as those by his good friend Johann Sebastian Bach. Whereas Bach's passions are deeply emotional and pious, Telemann speaks on the emotional level with a lighter touch and the music does not plumb the depths of meaning and understanding of the text to the level of the great JS. Possibly this could be due to the nature of the cisties where they lived, Telemann in liberal, forward looking Hamburg and Bach in conservative, staunchly Lutheran Leipzig. Perhaps too it has something to do with Telemann's cosmopolitan outlook and Bach's insular, deeply religious upbringing. Whatever the reasons, we are presented with an effective works that is melodically quite pleasing, never outstaying its welcome over 79 minutes. Not to be disrespectful to Telemann, whom I adore, but this is definitely Passion Lite.
This recording features the noted baritone James Maddelena along with Boston stalwart Karl Dan Sorensen and Ray deVoll. The last artist was the featured soloist in the Berlioz Requiem I offered a few posts back. I want to remind you all that this recording is 30 years old and mastering period instruments has come a long way since then. This is a beautifully rendered recording but you will hear, from time to time, the occasional sour sound that most of these earlier period performance records would have on them. As a historical document this is vital and, as a musical document, kudos to Martin Pearlman and Banchetto Musicale for bringing style and good taste to the music of the incredible Telemann.
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