Heilig Heilig Heilig Ist Got

This is one of the many hidden treasures still to be unearthed in Telemann's vast catalog. Given the numbers (some 3,000 compositions in all), I'm sure there are many, many works not worth dusting off, but certainly "Heilig, heilig, heilig" is a real discovery. Big in scale and in sound, it was written for the dedication ceremony for the Church of the Holy Trinity in Hamburg in 1747. So it's a mature work that reflects Telemann's progressiveness. Take the aria "Es strahlt die Pracht" (No. 3). It has both a strange melodic contour and harmony; the strings often sound as though they're tuning up. This is to articulate the text, which contrasts the splendor of God's strength with the understandable fear and trembling of puny man. Strange music that looks toward the growing importance of Affekt in North German musical circles, which Telemann's godson C. P. E. Bach would take to both its logical and illogical conclusion in his wonderfully offbeat pieces.

The work starts in striking fashion as well, with a slow crescendo, over drum rolls, which leads to a stirring chorus on "Heiling, heilig, heilig" ("Holy, holy, holy"). Equally stirring is the chorus (No. 10) designed to follow the dedication sermon, "Machet die Tore weit" ("Lift up your heads, o ye gates"). Another high point is the tender aria (No. 8) for soprano accompanied by muffled drums and muted horns and strings: intriguing and lovely both. Almost as interesting is the aria (No. 21) for alto, which features a plaintive chalumeau solo.

The later pages are dominated by the chorales that also dominate Bach's cantatas and which allowed for communal singing by the congregation. Good for the listeners of Telemann's day, though a rousing Handelian finale would perhaps have given the piece more of a chance for a place in the concert hall. But there's enough good music throughout to celebrate its appearance on CD.

The performance by the very fine Hannover Hofkappele and Collegium Vocale Siegen is both spirited and affecting, and except for the rather unlovely soprano of Monika Mauch, the soloists are good as well. Excellent recorded sound from a church in Siegen, Germany. The acoustic lends glamour without obscuring detail; everything is clear as the proverbial mountain stream. An important addition to the burgeoning Telemann discography.

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