Purcell Choir and Orfeo Orchestra

The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus is one of the gems of Telemann’s late period. Rich in emotional, expressive arias and monumental, splendid choruses, the composition is a representative work of the transitional style: it was premiered in 1761, over a decade after Johann Sebastian Bach’s death, when Haydn took his second conductor position in Eisenstadt.

The oratorio should not be compared to Bach’s cantatas or passions. By then, Telemann’s style stood closer to that of another Bach, Carl Philip Emanuel, who also happened to be his godson.