Christoph Graupner (1683-1760)
Cantate "Soll nun, das unschuldsvolle Lamm", GWV 1119/13
Cantate "Sehet, welch ein Mensch", GWV 1124/16
Cantate "Mein Jesus, nahe doch zu mir", GWV 1159-14
Cantate "Lass uns in deiner Liebe", GWV 1159-12b
Cantate "Dein Schade ist verzweifelt böse", GWV 1160/12a

Marie Luise Werneburg, soprano
Dominik Wörner, basse
Kirchheimer BachConsort
Florian Heyerick, clavecin, direction

In 1722, Christoph Graupner missed being appointed as the new cantor of St Thomas' Church in Leipzig by a hair and not Johann Sebastian Bach. But Graupner’s employer, the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, refused to let him go. He knew exactly what a talented court conductor he had obtained around ten years prior. He was skilful at composing operas, cantatas, symphonies, concertos, chamber music and piano works and was therefore worth every penny of his handsome salary. Graupner imaginatively filled even small sacred works with life, producing great expression in even the most modest instrumentation using subtle voice leading. This is what we hear in these works, which are performed just as "agilely, nimbly and often with joyful and declamatory vigour" (Klassik-Heute) as the first recording of these so-called "Dialogue Cantatas".