Georg Philipp TELEMANN (1681-1767)
Solo Fantasias for viola da gamba, TWV40/26-37 (1735)
Fantasia in c minor [5:28]
Fantasia in D [8:46]
Fantasia in e minor [5:20]
Fantasia in F [6:40]
Fantasia in B-flat [5:07]
Fantasia in G [6:35]
Fantasia in g minor [7:38]
Fantasia in A [6:04]
Fantasia in C [7:14]
Fantasia in E [6:34]
Fantasia in d minor [6:01]
Fantasia in E-flat [7:41]
Richard Boothby (viola da gamba)
rec. St Mary Magdalene, Sherbourne, Gloucestershire, 17-19 July 2017. DDD.
Reviewed as 24/96 download with pdf booklet from
hyperion-records.co.uk.
SIGNUM SIGCD544
[79:09]
Telemann’s very large output
encompasses a wide range of styles, with no danger
of his being accused of writing the same work several hundred times, like
his contemporary Vivaldi. (Not that I subscribe to that particular
misapprehension.) Don’t expect these solo fantasias for the gamba to match the
immediate appeal of some of his music, such as his ‘Water Music’ ( Hamburger Ebb’ und Fluth), or his a-minor Suite for flute and
orchestra, or his concertos based on Polish tunes. Nor should the word
‘fantasia’ lead you to expect anything like Biber’s trade-mark stylus phantasticus; Telemann’s fantasias offer music of a more
intimate nature.
These works are not to be confused with his better-known fantasias for solo
flute and solo violin. Two of the fantasias for solo flute have recently
been released on the Arcana label: TWV40:2 and 4, along with two fantasias
for solo violin, TWV40/16 and 20, and three sonatas for transverse flute
and violin, TWV40:101, 103 and 104. The attractive performances by Matteo
Gemolo (one-keyed flute) and Patrizio Germone (baroque violin) were
recorded in May 2017 and can be found on AD110 [53:52] reviewed as an mp3
press preview with pdf booklet. Though shown as released in May 2018, I
can’t find it listed by our usual suppliers on disc, so I can only surmise
that the release has been delayed or is restricted to streaming – from
Naxos Music Library
with booklet – or download only.
Incidentally, some dealers seem to be offering the new Signum for download
only, though others have it on CD.
Re-discovered as recently as 2015, the gamba fantasias nevertheless already
have other recordings to their credit. These include versions from Robert
Smith (Resonus RES10195) and Paolo Gandolfo (Glossa GCD920417). Stuart
Sillitoe described Gandolfo’s recording as ‘exceptional’: Recording of the
Month –
review
– but it has apparently already fallen into the download-only category,
though Amazon UK had one copy of the CD when I checked. It runs to two
rather short CDs, with the addition of the Sonata in D, TWV40:1.
More directly comparable with the new Signum, the Resonus comes complete on
one CD which Michael Cookson thought ‘shone out strongly’ from the three
Telemann recordings which he was
reviewing
earlier this year.
I’ve had time only to sample those other recordings, without making direct
comparisons. All that I can say is that we now have three very good
recordings of this music. The viola da gamba was already old-fashioned in
Purcell’s day, though that didn’t prevent him from writing some very fine
music for it. A little before Telemann’s time, Marin Marais wrote some
splendid music for the instrument, as those who have seen Gérard Depardieu
in the film Tous les Matins du Monde will know. (Soundtrack on Alia
Vox AVSA9821, SACD, or download AV9821 – 5-star
review). Now we know that Telemann also left very fine music for the instrument.
Technically difficult, though with the art which conceals art, the music
receives splendid performances from Richard Boothby. Apparently, Telemann
played the gamba, though not with great assurance; he included it as an
optional replacement for the cello in his Paris Quartets and there are
sonatas for gamba and bass continuo. Boothby’s notes in the booklet surmise
that he may have had one of the French virtuosos of the day in mind when he
composed these Fantasias. I doubt that any of them could have surpassed the
three versions mentioned, not least the new Signum. The recording is
suitably intimate and the presentation very good.
The Hyperion download costs £7.99 for 16-bit, a considerable saving over
the cost of the CD, while even the 24-bit version, at £12, is less
expensive than most dealers charge for the (16-bit) disc.
Take your pick from three very fine accounts of this music, the new Signum
not the least. None of them will be my automatic choice when I wish to hear
Telemann’s music, but I shall wish to return sometimes to this Signum
release.
Brian Wilson
