All my spirit exalts

As one of the three canticles from the New Testament, the Magnificat – the Canticle of Mary – has at all times held a prominent position in church music. Telemann’s setting of Luther’s German translation of the text bears eloquent witness both to the composer’s rich imagination and to his ability to mold a variety of musical shapes into a coherent formal Baroque architecture. Four solo movements with colorfully contrasting instrumentation are juxtaposed with four emphatically homogeneous choral movements; all of the latter are in 6/8 meter and in motet setting with instruments doubling colla parte. Particularly the choral movements are characterized by lively text portrayal and a wealth of at times dramatic imagery. A work of exceptional magnetism for both listeners and choir singers!

Scoring: Soli SATB, Coro SATB, 2 Ob, 2 Blfl f1, 2 Vl, Va, Bc