Making Christ's suffering palpable
The music of Georg Philipp Telemann often receives less attention than it deserves. His oeuvre includes a wealth of musical surprises, such as the 1755 Passion oratorio Der Tod Jesu, which effortlessly holds its own against other compositions of the same genre. The poetic libretto by Karl Wilhelm Ramler zooms in on the most emotional, and universal and human aspects of the Passion story. Telemann pulls out all the stops to make Christ’s suffering palpable in expressive arias, choruses and chorales. By increasing the importance of and expanding the instrumental setting of the recitatives, the composer moreover made his very own mark on the Passion repertoire. The elegiac sonority of Telemann’s oratorio is introduced by one of his sensitive orchestral suites and a compelling oboe concerto.