CPO's Georg Philipp Telemann: Christmas Oratorio consists of three choral works that come from the last part of Telemann's voluminous oeuvre. The oratorio Die Hirten an der Krippe zu Bethlehem ("The Shepherds at the Crib of Bethlehem") dates from 1759 and has a libretto by poet Karl Wilhelm Ramler, who also contributed the text to Telemann's great masterwork Die Auferstehung und Himmerfahrt Jesu. It is a short oratorio, and CPO has filled out the disc with a pair of Christmas cantatas that post-date it, Siehe, ich verk ...
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CPO's Georg Philipp Telemann: Christmas Oratorio consists of three choral works that come from the last part of Telemann's voluminous oeuvre. The oratorio Die Hirten an der Krippe zu Bethlehem ("The Shepherds at the Crib of Bethlehem") dates from 1759 and has a libretto by poet Karl Wilhelm Ramler, who also contributed the text to Telemann's great masterwork Die Auferstehung und Himmerfahrt Jesu. It is a short oratorio, and CPO has filled out the disc with a pair of Christmas cantatas that post-date it, Siehe, ich verkündige Euch (1761) and Der Herr hat offenbaret (1762). When Telemann composed the last of these cantatas, he was 81 years of age!Listeners who are familiar with the cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach will find Telemann's work in this genre comparatively clear of Bach's busy counterpoint and a little closer to the vein of Handel, but also not like him. Although Telemann often recycled cantata texts, he seldom saw the need to reuse musical themes as did Bach. Telemann's seemingly...
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