Telemann Pastorelle en musique Lydia Teuscher, Florian Götz, Alois Mühlbacher; Vocalconsort Berlin; Ensemble 1700/Dorothee Oberlinger DHM 19658701132 110:11 mins (2 discs)
Telemann’s Pastorelle en Musique was discovered in 2001 by Kirill Karabits. It formed part of the archive of the Berlin Sing-Akademie which had disappeared in 1945, but which turned up in Kyiv in 1999. This is the second live performance on disc, the earlier one being conducted by Karabits himself in 2004. Inspired by Molière’s Les Amants magnifiques, the dimension and generous scoring of this delightful Arcadian frolic, probably dating from Telemann’s Frankfurt period prior to his move to Hamburg in 1721, suggests it was intended for an important event – a society wedding, perhaps.
A well-sung quintet of shepherds and shepherdesses is accompanied by an impressive instrumental arsenal of oboes, recorders, bassoon, horns, trumpets, timpani, strings and lute. As well as revealing Telemann’s fluent blend of styles from France, Italy and Germanic countries, Pastorelle adopts a north/mid-German trait in its varied use of German and French in the arias and choruses. Enchantments include Amynta’s ‘Lässt uns Liebesrosen brechen’ and ‘Vergnüge dich’; Caliste’s ‘Dir ahnet was’ with its alluring oboe solo; and the drowsy choral siciliano ‘Dormez beaux yeux’. Dorothee Oberlinger directs with expressive warmth and stylistic assurance.
Nicholas Anderson
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