Telemann Orpheus
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Georg Philipp Telemann
Genre:
Opera
Label: Harmonia Mundi
Magazine Review Date: 3/1998
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 159
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: HMC90 1618/9
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Orpheus |
Georg Philipp Telemann, Composer
Axel Köhler, Ascalax, Countertenor Berlin Academy for Ancient Music Berlin RIAS Chamber Choir Dorothea Röschmann, Orasia, Soprano Georg Philipp Telemann, Composer Hanno Müller-Brachmann, Pluto, Baritone Isabelle Poulenard, Priestess Isabelle Poulenard, Cephisa Maria Cristina Kiehr, Ismene, Soprano René Jacobs, Conductor Roman Trekel, Orpheus, Baritone Ruth Ziesak, Eurydice, Soprano Werner Güra, Eurimedes, Tenor |
Author: Nicholas Anderson
Some readers may already have heard this performance of Telemann’s three-act opera, Orpheus, oder die wunderbare Bestandigkeit der Liebe (“Orpheus, or the marvellous constancy of Love”) from broadcasts on BBC Radio 3, German networks and, perhaps, others too. Its release on Harmonia Mundi, though, is the first on disc of an opera that was recognized as being the product of Telemann’s pen only some 20 years ago.
The first performance of Orpheus took place in Hamburg, at the famous Gansemarkt Opera, of which Telemann himself was Music Director, in 1726. Two years later it was revived in Karlsruhe and, in 1736 was given, once again, in Hamburg, this time with adjustments, and a new title in which the constant love of Orpheus was supplanted by “Vengeful love, or Orasia, the widowed Queen of Thrace”. The original libretto was by a Frenchman, Michel du Boullay, who had collaborated with Louis Lully, son of the redoubtable Jean-Baptiste, in an opera Orphee, given in Paris in 1690. Telemann himself seems to have adapted the text to suit Hamburg taste – there is, for instance, a tragicomic element in the characters of Cephisa and Eurimedes, apparent above all in the First Act; but though the libretto has survived virtually complete, a small part of the score is lost. For the edition used here, Peter Huth – who has also contributed a useful essay – Jakob Peters-Messer and the director of the performance, Rene Jacobs, have filled the lacunae with music from other Telemann sources. Among the most important of these are the operas Emma und Eginhard (1728) and Flavius Bertaridus (1729), from each of which a single aria has been borrowed. Other, smaller interpolations and editorial decisions are acknowledged in Huth’s essay; but his declaration that the Overture, missing from Telemann’s score, has been replaced by one belonging to “the orchestral Suite in F major” is unhelpful and furthermore betrays a startling disregard for the composer’s well-attested fecundity in this sphere of composition. There are at least 18 orchestral suites in this key, of which the present one answers to the catalogue number TWV55:F14.
Telemann’s Orpheus has an additional dimension to the standard version of the legend in the person of Orasia, widowed Queen of Thrace. She occupies a key position in the drama first as murderess of Eurydice of whose love for Orpheus she is jealous, then of Orpheus himself, since he, understandably, rejects her advances. The plot develops effectively, contributing greatly to the dramatic coherence and overall satisfaction provided by text and music alike. Indeed, it is a work that, in certain respects, reveals Telemann’s theatrical talents more tautly than the piece by which he is best known, Der geduldige Socrates (1721); for though it differs from Orpheus in being an entirely comic opera, the plot is slender for a work of almost unwieldy dimensions.
In common with a great many operas for the Hamburg stage, Orpheus contains arias sung in languages other than the German vernacular. Italian was the usual alternative, but here there are airs in French, too, and Telemann, on these occasions, lends emphasis to the ‘mixed style’ aesthetic, in which he was an ardent believer, by retaining the distinctive stylistic character of each country. Thus the Italian arias tend to be virtuosic da capo pieces, while the French ones offer compelling evidence of the composer’s assimilation of the air de cour (disc 1, tracks 20 and 32; disc 2, track 40). But it is the German arias that are often both the most interesting and the most varied, since it is the Lied and the arioso, as developed in the Passion-Oratorio settings, that provide those additional ingredients which vitalize, refresh and give distinction to his music.
Jacobs has assembled a first-rate cast for this opera, which he has previously directed in stage productions at Innsbruck and Berlin. Dorothea Roschmann projects a passionate and temperamental Orasia for whom Telemann has provided several strongly characterized arias. One of them, “Vieni, o sdegno, e fuggi, Amor!”, is worthy of comparison with Handel for the forcefulness of its declamation, the boldness of its contours and the lively nature of its accompaniment. Another, “Furcht und Hoffnung”, one of the best sustained arias in the work, demonstrates Telemann’s skill in projecting the conflicting emotions of the text – fear and hope, love and hate.
Orpheus is sung by Roman Trekel, Eurydice by Ruth Ziesak. Telemann adorns both roles with an affecting blend of lyricism and pathos. Eurydice’s part in the drama is, perforce, relatively small – she is dead well before the end of Act 1 and has little to sing during her all too brief journey from the Underworld. But her music is often alluring and nowhere more so, perhaps, than when she welcomes the shades, who gather to prevent an opportunity for the lovers to look upon one another during the rescue scene. There are some forward-looking harmonies here which foreshadow later developments in opera. Orpheus’s music is, appropriately, captivating more often than not; and it is strikingly varied in character, ranging from the light-hearted, enchanting “Vezzosi lumi”, to his deeply felt “Fliesst ihr Zeugen meiner Schmerzen”, which is followed by a sharply poignant, despairing arioso with solo oboe and string pizzicato. Such music as this is hardly distinguishable from the sort of Passion music that Telemann was setting for the annual Lenten performances for which he was responsible throughout his Hamburg years.
The other major beneficiary of Telemann’s musical largesse is Orpheus’s friend Eurimedes, a tenor role expressively sung by Werner Gura. Among the most arresting of his numbers are the aria, “Augelletti, che cantate”, a beguiling piece with descant recorder and an undulating string accompaniment, a yearning “A l’incendio d’un occhio amoroso”, and a duet with Orpheus, “Angenehmer Aufenthalt” with a chorus of nymphs. Pluto, a bass-baritone role sung with resonance and authority by Hanno Muller-Brachmann, appears in Act 1 only; but he has some splendid music, especially in the da capo aria, “Ruhet, ihr Folten gemarterter Seelen”, which owes something to the German Lied, or Ode, and has an effectively contrasting middle section.
The remaining roles are small but, of these, Ismene, one of Orasia’s ladies-in-waiting, deserves mention for the aria, “Bitter und suss sind Rachgier und Liebe”. This double-edged piece, a siciliano with a bite to it, is ravishingly sung by Maria Cristina Kiehr. And another, for Pluto’s servant Ascalax, “Was hilft’s, von Kurzer Freude sagen”, contains moments of vivid word-painting as string chromaticisms illustrate the word “estragen” (“suffer”). This role is fluently if, perhaps, tamely handled by Axel Kohler. In choosing a soprano of the calibre of Isabelle Poulenard to sing the minor role of Cephisa, a nymph, Jacobs showed shrewd judgement, since Telemann wrote a virtuoso aria for her which Poulenard sings with brilliance and technical skill. Cephisa also shares some delightful music with a chorus of nymphs. Her air, “N’aimons que la liberte”, with its uncanny likeness at the outset to Purcell’s “Fairest isle”, would sound equally at home in a French baroque opera.
Among the remaining components of Orpheus are several fine (though brief) choruses, lightly and articulately sung by 18 voices of the RIAS Chamber Choir and a handful of invigorating instrumental numbers. Only a percussive accompaniment to the penultimate chorus struck a contrived and somewhat suspect note in my ear. I doubt if Telemann intended this particular effect but he may have done and I have not had the advantage of seeing any score. But the instrumental movements are very well played by the Berlin Academy for Ancient Music. Among them are a wonderful, atmospheric, richly modulating “Sinfonia” at the beginning of Act 2, another piece with a similar function which prefaces the concluding scene of the opera, and a “Polonaise” and “Niais” of primitive energy, both betraying that central European folk inspiration of which Telemann was incurably fond.
This is an important and hugely enjoyable release which enriches our hitherto somewhat limited view of Telemann the opera composer and, indeed, enhances for us his reputation in this sphere. Jacobs and his musicians deserve congratulations, and so do Harmonia Mundi for their first-rate recording in which almost two hours and 40 minutes of music have been accommodated on two discs. For me, at least, this has proved an auspicious beginning to 1998. Strongly commended without serious reservation. No opera lover should miss it.'
The first performance of Orpheus took place in Hamburg, at the famous Gansemarkt Opera, of which Telemann himself was Music Director, in 1726. Two years later it was revived in Karlsruhe and, in 1736 was given, once again, in Hamburg, this time with adjustments, and a new title in which the constant love of Orpheus was supplanted by “Vengeful love, or Orasia, the widowed Queen of Thrace”. The original libretto was by a Frenchman, Michel du Boullay, who had collaborated with Louis Lully, son of the redoubtable Jean-Baptiste, in an opera Orphee, given in Paris in 1690. Telemann himself seems to have adapted the text to suit Hamburg taste – there is, for instance, a tragicomic element in the characters of Cephisa and Eurimedes, apparent above all in the First Act; but though the libretto has survived virtually complete, a small part of the score is lost. For the edition used here, Peter Huth – who has also contributed a useful essay – Jakob Peters-Messer and the director of the performance, Rene Jacobs, have filled the lacunae with music from other Telemann sources. Among the most important of these are the operas Emma und Eginhard (1728) and Flavius Bertaridus (1729), from each of which a single aria has been borrowed. Other, smaller interpolations and editorial decisions are acknowledged in Huth’s essay; but his declaration that the Overture, missing from Telemann’s score, has been replaced by one belonging to “the orchestral Suite in F major” is unhelpful and furthermore betrays a startling disregard for the composer’s well-attested fecundity in this sphere of composition. There are at least 18 orchestral suites in this key, of which the present one answers to the catalogue number TWV55:F14.
Telemann’s Orpheus has an additional dimension to the standard version of the legend in the person of Orasia, widowed Queen of Thrace. She occupies a key position in the drama first as murderess of Eurydice of whose love for Orpheus she is jealous, then of Orpheus himself, since he, understandably, rejects her advances. The plot develops effectively, contributing greatly to the dramatic coherence and overall satisfaction provided by text and music alike. Indeed, it is a work that, in certain respects, reveals Telemann’s theatrical talents more tautly than the piece by which he is best known, Der geduldige Socrates (1721); for though it differs from Orpheus in being an entirely comic opera, the plot is slender for a work of almost unwieldy dimensions.
In common with a great many operas for the Hamburg stage, Orpheus contains arias sung in languages other than the German vernacular. Italian was the usual alternative, but here there are airs in French, too, and Telemann, on these occasions, lends emphasis to the ‘mixed style’ aesthetic, in which he was an ardent believer, by retaining the distinctive stylistic character of each country. Thus the Italian arias tend to be virtuosic da capo pieces, while the French ones offer compelling evidence of the composer’s assimilation of the air de cour (disc 1, tracks 20 and 32; disc 2, track 40). But it is the German arias that are often both the most interesting and the most varied, since it is the Lied and the arioso, as developed in the Passion-Oratorio settings, that provide those additional ingredients which vitalize, refresh and give distinction to his music.
Jacobs has assembled a first-rate cast for this opera, which he has previously directed in stage productions at Innsbruck and Berlin. Dorothea Roschmann projects a passionate and temperamental Orasia for whom Telemann has provided several strongly characterized arias. One of them, “Vieni, o sdegno, e fuggi, Amor!”, is worthy of comparison with Handel for the forcefulness of its declamation, the boldness of its contours and the lively nature of its accompaniment. Another, “Furcht und Hoffnung”, one of the best sustained arias in the work, demonstrates Telemann’s skill in projecting the conflicting emotions of the text – fear and hope, love and hate.
Orpheus is sung by Roman Trekel, Eurydice by Ruth Ziesak. Telemann adorns both roles with an affecting blend of lyricism and pathos. Eurydice’s part in the drama is, perforce, relatively small – she is dead well before the end of Act 1 and has little to sing during her all too brief journey from the Underworld. But her music is often alluring and nowhere more so, perhaps, than when she welcomes the shades, who gather to prevent an opportunity for the lovers to look upon one another during the rescue scene. There are some forward-looking harmonies here which foreshadow later developments in opera. Orpheus’s music is, appropriately, captivating more often than not; and it is strikingly varied in character, ranging from the light-hearted, enchanting “Vezzosi lumi”, to his deeply felt “Fliesst ihr Zeugen meiner Schmerzen”, which is followed by a sharply poignant, despairing arioso with solo oboe and string pizzicato. Such music as this is hardly distinguishable from the sort of Passion music that Telemann was setting for the annual Lenten performances for which he was responsible throughout his Hamburg years.
The other major beneficiary of Telemann’s musical largesse is Orpheus’s friend Eurimedes, a tenor role expressively sung by Werner Gura. Among the most arresting of his numbers are the aria, “Augelletti, che cantate”, a beguiling piece with descant recorder and an undulating string accompaniment, a yearning “A l’incendio d’un occhio amoroso”, and a duet with Orpheus, “Angenehmer Aufenthalt” with a chorus of nymphs. Pluto, a bass-baritone role sung with resonance and authority by Hanno Muller-Brachmann, appears in Act 1 only; but he has some splendid music, especially in the da capo aria, “Ruhet, ihr Folten gemarterter Seelen”, which owes something to the German Lied, or Ode, and has an effectively contrasting middle section.
The remaining roles are small but, of these, Ismene, one of Orasia’s ladies-in-waiting, deserves mention for the aria, “Bitter und suss sind Rachgier und Liebe”. This double-edged piece, a siciliano with a bite to it, is ravishingly sung by Maria Cristina Kiehr. And another, for Pluto’s servant Ascalax, “Was hilft’s, von Kurzer Freude sagen”, contains moments of vivid word-painting as string chromaticisms illustrate the word “estragen” (“suffer”). This role is fluently if, perhaps, tamely handled by Axel Kohler. In choosing a soprano of the calibre of Isabelle Poulenard to sing the minor role of Cephisa, a nymph, Jacobs showed shrewd judgement, since Telemann wrote a virtuoso aria for her which Poulenard sings with brilliance and technical skill. Cephisa also shares some delightful music with a chorus of nymphs. Her air, “N’aimons que la liberte”, with its uncanny likeness at the outset to Purcell’s “Fairest isle”, would sound equally at home in a French baroque opera.
Among the remaining components of Orpheus are several fine (though brief) choruses, lightly and articulately sung by 18 voices of the RIAS Chamber Choir and a handful of invigorating instrumental numbers. Only a percussive accompaniment to the penultimate chorus struck a contrived and somewhat suspect note in my ear. I doubt if Telemann intended this particular effect but he may have done and I have not had the advantage of seeing any score. But the instrumental movements are very well played by the Berlin Academy for Ancient Music. Among them are a wonderful, atmospheric, richly modulating “Sinfonia” at the beginning of Act 2, another piece with a similar function which prefaces the concluding scene of the opera, and a “Polonaise” and “Niais” of primitive energy, both betraying that central European folk inspiration of which Telemann was incurably fond.
This is an important and hugely enjoyable release which enriches our hitherto somewhat limited view of Telemann the opera composer and, indeed, enhances for us his reputation in this sphere. Jacobs and his musicians deserve congratulations, and so do Harmonia Mundi for their first-rate recording in which almost two hours and 40 minutes of music have been accommodated on two discs. For me, at least, this has proved an auspicious beginning to 1998. Strongly commended without serious reservation. No opera lover should miss it.'
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