‘Singing is the foundation’ – Cantatas and instrumental music by Georg Philipp Telemann
The singers and instrumentalists of the Institute for Early Music and Performance Practice at the HfK Bremen present selected vocal works by Georg Philipp Telemann, framed by exquisite instrumental pieces. Telemann's versatile style combines French, Italian and Eastern European influences to create an unmistakable Baroque sound.
Georg Philipp Telemann was admired by his contemporaries as ‘one of Europe's foremost composers,’ and his cantatas in particular earned him great renown.
Today, we are fascinated by Telemann's multifaceted personality as an enlightened citizen who was drawn from Leipzig to Frankfurt to Hamburg, the most exciting cities in Germany at the time, and whose interests extended far beyond music, ranging from botany to the stock market. On his travels, he acquired the national styles of France and Italy, learned to appreciate the folk music of Poland and Moravia, and skilfully combined these elements to create his own distinctive style. His search for unusual timbres and instrumentations also demonstrates this ‘original spirit’.
"Singing is the foundation of music in all things.
Those who take up composition must sing in their movements.
Those who play instruments must be skilled in singing."
This quote from his autobiography, written in 1718, gives an idea of Telemann's close connection to singing. It also illustrates the great importance attached to vocal music in the Baroque period as a musical model for instrumental music.
Singers and instrumentalists from the Institute for Early Music and Performance Practice at the HfK Bremen will perform some of his most beautiful vocal works, framed by exquisite instrumental pieces.
Instrumentalists of the Institute for Early Music and Performance Practice at the HfK Bremen
Elena Tsantidis, soprano
Michel Gattwinkel, tenor
Conductors:
Prof. Katharina Andres, baroque oboe
Prof. Mechthild Karkow, baroque violin
Important information
Admission free.