Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Telemann : Solo Cantatas for Bass (2018) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Telemann : Solo Cantatas for Bass (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:13:40 minutes | 1,23 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Passacaille

No-one will be surprised to learn that Telemann, himself a baritone, has dedicated a substantial part of his output to cantatas (some 1400 works in total!) for baritone, as the convention in the Protestant world at the time was that the character of Jesus was reserved for that same baritone voice. And so here is a series of deeply intimate Passion cantatas for solo bass, with a sense of immense pain sketched out masterfully by a composer who knows how to always stay original. This is almost a kind of religious play, in which the plot is relayed through short, sober recitations, and then illuminated through staggering arias that border on musical painting. Dutch bass-baritone Peter Kooy (or Kooij), a follower of the legendary Max von Egmond, whose career took off from the 1980s with Herreweghe in the La Chapelle Royale and the Collegium Vocale of Gent, gives us a velvety reading, against an instrumental backdrop provided by L’Armonia Sonora. We are given a breather between cantatas in the shape of several instrumental sonatas. The album closes on an aria taken from the great Passion oratorio Seliges Erwägen des bittern Leidens, “Gute Nacht, ihr meine Lieben”. It is hard not to think of Bach with his “Gute Nacht” – Bach had already been evoked in one of the cantatas, Ich will den Kreuzweg gerne gehen whose lyrics and spirit come close to Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne Tragen of the Cantor of Leipzig (itself also for solo bass!), note the little differences in formulation between Bach and Telemann, who were colleagues and friends.

Tracklist:

01. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Cantata, “Der am Ölberg zagende Jesus”, TWV 1:364: I. “Die stille Nacht umschloss den Kreiß der Erden” (03:12)
02. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Cantata, “Der am Ölberg zagende Jesus”, TWV 1:364: II. “Ich bin betrübt bis in den Tod” (04:04)
03. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Cantata, “Der am Ölberg zagende Jesus”, TWV 1:364: III. “Er rung die heil’gen Hände aus überhäuftem Schmerz” (00:39)
04. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Cantata, “Der am Ölberg zagende Jesus”, TWV 1:364: IV: “Mein Vater” (04:04)
05. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Cantata, “Der am Ölberg zagende Jesus”, TWV 1:364: V. “Allein, die Angst nahm jeden Nu mit Haufen zu” (00:32)
06. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Cantata, “Der am Ölberg zagende Jesus”, TWV 1:364: VI. “Kommet her, ihr Menschenkinder” (04:25)
07. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Cantata, “Ich will den Kreuzweg gerne gehen”, TWV 1:884: I. “Ich will den Kreuzweg gerne gehen” (04:43)
08. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Cantata, “Ich will den Kreuzweg gerne gehen”, TWV 1:884: II. “Ach, wer die Frucht des Kreuzes” (02:10)
09. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Cantata, “Ich will den Kreuzweg gerne gehen”, TWV 1:884: III. “Ich küsse die Rute” (03:09)
10. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Cantata, “Ich will den Kreuzweg gerne gehen”, TWV 1:884: IV. ‘Und zwar, was sag ich weiter’ (00:37)
11. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Cantata, “Ich will den Kreuzweg gerne gehen”, TWV 1:884: V. “Ach, mein Heiland” (02:20)
12. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Sonata a 4 in G major, TWV 43:G10: I. Vivace (04:06)
13. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Sonata a 4 in G major, TWV 43:G10: II. Andante (02:46)
14. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Sonata a 4 in G major, TWV 43:G10: III. Vivace (04:52)
15. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Cantata, “Reiner Geist, laß doch mein Herz”, TWV 1:1228: I. Reiner Geist, laß doch mein Herz (05:01)
16. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Cantata, “Reiner Geist, laß doch mein Herz”, TWV 1:1228: II. ‘Du allerwehrtester und reinster Geist’ (00:31)
17. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Cantata, “Reiner Geist, laß doch mein Herz”, TWV 1:1228: III. “Mit dem heiligsten Entzücken” (05:09)
18. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Cantata, “Reiner Geist, laß doch mein Herz”, TWV 1:1228: IV. “Ach weiche nicht!” (00:42)
19. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Cantata, “Reiner Geist, laß doch mein Herz”, TWV 1:1228: V. “Ich recke schon die schwachen Hände” (03:56)
20. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Sonata a 6 in F Minor, TWV 44:32: I. Adagio (01:10)
21. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Sonata a 6 in F Minor, TWV 44:32: II. Allegro (02:04)
22. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Sonata a 6 in F Minor, TWV 44:32: III. Largo (01:36)
23. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Sonata a 6 in F Minor, TWV 44:32: IV. Presto (02:30)
24. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Geistliche Arien (1727): “Machet mir das Sterbebette” (03:42)
25. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Triosonata in C Minor, TWV 42:c8 : I. Affetuoso (01:31)
26. Peter Kooij, Mieneke van der Velden, L’ Armonia Sonora – Passionsoratorium Seliges Erwägen des bittern Leidens und Sterbens Jesu Christi: Gute Nacht, ihr meine Lieben (03:56)

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