Hamburger Ratsmusik / Moralistic Cantatas by Telemann, Alkaen (2017/2017), Laeiszhalle, Hamburg, Germany

Moralistic finger-wagging? Certainly not! In the decades between 1720 and 1750 the bourgeoisie of the early Enlightenment was turning to literature and philosophy in search of elevated morals and manners. In his »Moralistic Cantatas« Georg Philipp Telemann sets a poetic contemporary document of this period to music with great wit and charm. In their performance at the Telemann Festival, the Hamburger Ratsmusik – an ensemble that boasts a 500-year history – now performs these cantatas. Telemann’s recently rediscovered and published fantasias for viola da gamba are also being performed for the first time. This was a very busy and productive time for Telemann. In the years between 1715 and 1740 he ran his own music publishing house, through which he made at least 47 publications available, mainly featuring his own compositions in a range of instrumentations, as well as secular and sacred vocal works. He was particularly fond of complete collections such as solo sonatas for flute, violin, harpsichord and viola da gamba, and cantatas. Using catalogues and newspaper advertisements, he successfully marketed this music across the whole continent. Telemann’s recently rediscovered fantasias for solo viola da gamba were published at around the same time as his »Moralistic Cantatas«, as advertised in a catalogue dated August 1735. The Hamburger Ratsmusik now performs both collections, united at last, in a single concert for the first time.