War & Peace

At the beginning of 1763, a conflict ended that could be described as a "world war" in terms of the common perception at the time, since it raged not only in all of Europe but also in parts of the New World. After seven years, the front lines were settled and the people who were subjected to it all were able to catch their breath for a while. The Luneburg church musician Johann Christoph Schmugel wrote a comprehensive Friedens-Cantata (Peace Cantata) for the thanksgiving festivities of the Electorate of Brunswick-Luneburg, recorded here for the first time after it's premiere on 6 January 1763. According to Georg Philipp Telemann, Schmugel was one of his best composition students. Telemann is also represented here with several musical commentaries on the military events - war and peace being two sides of the same coin.