| That Mattheson's music deserves to be revived is obvious from the few available recordings. The major Mattheson work on this disk, his Brockes Passion, is in essence a pastoral, emphasizing the cheerful rather than the bleak aspects of the passion text. Mattheson turns the final two chorales into a minuet with obligato glockenspiel, interrupted by one of the most heroic arias in the passion. There are three other movements with glockenspiel accompaniment and one with musette. Mattheson's musical style seems closest to Keiser (of known composers), but looks forward with extensive use of accompanied recitative and ariosi. In contrast, Telemann's great Brockes Passion consists largely of heroic arias for a cast of star opera singers, separated by secco recitative. |
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