Georg Philipp TELEMANN (1681-1767)
Overture for recorder, strings and bc in a minor (TWV 55,a2) [31:43]
Concerto for recorder, oboe, violin and bc in G (TWV 43,G6) [7:46]
Overture for viola da gamba, strings and bc in D (TWV 55,D6) [23:34]
Concerto for recorder, viola da gamba, strings and bc in a minor (TWV 52,a1) [16:27]
Bart Coen (recorder), Sigiswald Kuijken (viola da gamba)
La Petite Bande/Sigiswald Kuijken
rec. January 2013, AMUZ, Antwerp, Belgium. DDD
ACCENT ACC24288 [79:40]
The four compositions on this disc expose three features of
Georg Philipp Telemann's oeuvre. As a staunch admirer of the French
style he wrote a large number of overtures or suites for orchestra. He was
also one of the composers who liked to write quartets - often called quatuors
or quadros - for three melody instruments and basso continuo. Lastly,
he not only composed music for virtually every instrument in vogue in his
time, but he also had a preference for less common combinations of instruments,
for instance the recorder and the viola da gamba.
The two overtures recorded here are among Telemann's most famous, and
that has everything to do with the fact that in both works one instrument
has a solo part. That in itself was rather uncommon at the time. Orchestral
suites were mostly scored for two or three oboes, strings and basso continuo,
sometimes with an additional bassoon part. Suites of the kind played here
are sometimes called concerts en ouverture: they are an exposition
of the composer's preference for a mixture of Italian and French elements,
the so-called goûts réünis. The solo part refers to the solo concerto
which had its origin in Italy, whereas the very form of the suite, comprising
an overture and a number of dances, was rooted in French opera. The two overtures
on the programme are different: the Overture in a minor has a strongly
Italian character as is especially demonstrated in the third movement, called
air à l'italienne. Here the soloist has many opportunities
to add ornaments, whereas in various other movements he can display his virtuosity.
There is no lack of brilliance in the viola da gamba part of the Overture
in D either, but as the solo instrument was considered typically French
the whole work focuses more on French elegance. It includes some typically
French features, especially the addition of a double to the courante.
The title of a piece tells us little about the character of a composition.
It happens quite often that a collection is presented under the name of 'concertos'
whereas the individual pieces are described as 'sonatas', or
the other way round. The Concerto in G has little to do with the
Italian-style solo concerto, and is in fact a quartet sonata. The quartet
was considered the pinnacle of the composing art. In his treatise Versuch
einer Anweisung die Flöte traversiere zu spielen (1752) Johann Joachim
Quantz stated that "[a] quatuor or a sonata with three concertante instruments
and a ground bass is a test of the mettle of any true counterpoint artist".
Telemann passed that test with flying colours. This particular quartet has
clear Italian traits, for instance in the concertante elements in the first
movement and the three-movement texture: fast - slow - fast, after the model
of the Vivaldian solo concerto.
Telemann liked to write for uncommon scorings. In his oeuvre we find pieces
for violin and bassoon, for trumpet, violin and cello and for transverse flute
and viola da gamba. From that angle the scoring of the Concerto in a minor
for recorder and viola da gamba is not that surprising. It is an interesting
mixture of past and future. The past is represented by the texture in four
movements, modelled after the Corellian concerto da chiesa rather
than the Vivaldian solo concerto. The future is the galant idiom which clearly
shines through in the rhythms of the various movements.
Probably with the exception of the quartet the music on this disc ranks among
Telemann's best known. That is one of the disappointing aspects. There
are certainly lesser-known pieces in Telemann's oeuvre which would
have made this disc more interesting. The second disappointment is the tone
of the strings which is often a bit sharp and sometimes even shrill. That
also goes for Sigiswald Kuijken's viola da gamba. Especially in the
opening movement from the Overture in D he produces a not always
pleasant tone, which is sometimes also a little thin. I have heard better
performances of this work, for instance from Jordi Savall. The slower movements
come off best, for instance the sarabande. It is mostly not a matter of interpretation
which reduces my enthusiasm for this production, but especially the sound
of the ensemble. Bart Coen is excellent in the Overture in a minor
and shows his creative powers in the addition of ornamentation. The quartet
is also beautifully played.
Overall this is not one of the finest productions of the otherwise admirable
La Petite Bande.
Johan van Veen
www.musica-dei-donum.org
twitter.com/johanvanveen
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