In conjunction with CPO’s ongoing Telemann chamber music series, they are also publishing the complete Kapitänsmusik. This new release features the Kapitänsmusik of 1744.

Georg Philipp Telemann’s role as Music Director in Hamburg in the early 18th Century meant he virtually assumed responsibility for the whole of the Hamburg’s music life. In 1722 he began supplying no less than thirty-six Kapitänsmusiken, each consisting of an oratorio and a serenata, in honor of the captains and colonels of the Hamburg civic guard.

This oratorio features solo singers in the roles of the allegorical figures representing Hamburg’s Guardian Spirit, Liberty, Contemplation, Joy, Gratitude, Discernment, Trust, Love and Frivolity. Once again Telemann’s gift for sophisticated instrumental technique is shown. Fifes and drums add unusual military colours in the serenata.

An authentic performance is given by Manfred Cordes and his Weser-Renaissance Bremen, a duo who have been acclaimed in the past for their “peerless, expert performances” (Classics Today).