Fasch, Graupner and Telemann

The Sweelinck Barokorkest (Sweelinck Baroque Orchestra) is comprised of students from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam who specialize in historically informed performance. Today, they present a versatile programme featuring three contemporaries of the late Baroque era: Johann Friedrich Fasch, Christoph Graupner and Georg Philipp Telemann. Fasch serves as the natural starting point for this musical journey. While rooted in the Baroque tradition, the music of Johann Friedrich Fasch already points towards the Classical period. In his elegant Concerto in D, the wind players take centre stage, with the horns shining in virtuoso sections.

Christoph Graupner composed his cantata Aus der Tiefen rufen wir as an audition piece for the prestigious position of Thomaskantor in Leipzig. Though Bach secured the post, it was through no fault of Graupner’s expressive work. Georg Philipp Telemann was inspired to write Die Donner-Ode following the devastating 1755 Lisbon earthquake. In this piece, he sets this harrowing theme to unconventional, highly imaginative music.