Telemann Ino Cantata Dramatica

This CD is an absolute gem! Musica Antiqua Koln under Goebel were always inspirational. (I hate to say 'were'...if only they could have stayed together!) Barbara Schlick's voice has a wonderfully poignant and vulnerable quality. Its fragility...like Dresden China...perfect for the rococo confection of the Ino cantata, where the heroine is as persecuted as Richardson's Clarissa. Now for the music itself, nothing short of a revelation! Who would have believed that the eighty-three year old Telemann (a composer I have always believed to be grossly under-estimated) could have had the acuity...let alone open-mindedness...to adapt to the pre-classical style, and with such panache! Ino is full of the most inspired ideas, both instrumentally and vocally. It is a tour-de-force in cantata writing from beginning to the last note. The near contemporary overture and suite is also lovely, although, with its French baroque format, not so avant-garde. Don't hesitate to add this to your collection, I have played it to death!