Georg Philipp TELEMANN (1681-1767)
Music for Oboe: The Twelve Fantasias; Suite in G minor for Oboe and
Continuo Basso from "Der getreue Music-Meister"
Heinz Holliger (oboe); Klaus Thunemann (bassoon); Christiane Jaccottet (harpsichord)
rec. no details supplied
REGIS RRC1343 [70:00]
Heinz Holliger is an important advocate of the music of Telemann, but he's
not averse to taking liberties now and then. The main body of this programme
is 'The Twelve Fantasias', better known as the Twelve Fantasias for Solo Flute.
And not only does he play them on an oboe, but it is a modern oboe using modern
articulation techniques.
Consummate musicianship is his saving grace, and the sheer elegance of these
recordings should endear them to all but the most trenchant of period performance
fundamentalists. Yes, there is a considerable amount of vibrato, and some
of the tempi are extreme, but the interpretation of each of the short works
is impressively coherent, and the technical proficiency of the playing is
unparalleled. Writing for the oboe, I suspect Telemann would have focused
on the lower register, but the top end holds few horrors for Holliger, whose
rich tone is almost equally apparent above the stave as it is lower down.
Many of the Fantasias are divided into a number of very short movements, usually
with very little thematic or tonal contrast between them. This allows Holliger
to make the most of the metre and tempo contrasts without compromising the
integrity of the whole. You'll often find, for example, a slow, strident introduction
of only a few bars, then cutting seamlessly into a courtly dance. Telemann
doesn't emphasise endings in the same way as he does beginnings, and Holliger
is impressively restrained in the ornamented ralls that he adds to many of
the cadences.
Ornamentation, when it comes, tends to be quite deliberate, for example slow
trills with every note emphasised. But ornamentation is the exception rather
than the rule, so these more emphatic gestures do not overly intrude. Likewise
with the vibrato, which only really comes into play on the longer, louder
notes, but when it is there you know about it, as it is wide, slow and emphatic.
The recorded sound is good, although the microphones are set a little too
close and much of the fast passage-work is interrupted by the sound of the
keys. I don't think the recording is particularly old - the liner doesn't
give a date - so I'm not sure how much the tone has changed through the process
of re-mastering. However, there is a brightness to the tone which borders
on the abrasive at times, a consequence, perhaps of overzealous cleaning.
The healthy running time of 70 minutes is made up with a Suite in G minor,
in which Holliger is joined by a continuo team of bassoon and harpsichord.
Again, this is Telemann in modern dress, the ensemble going for a comfortable
tafelmusik atmosphere rather than for any of the austerities imposed by period
performance aesthetics. It is a technically proficient ensemble, and like
Holliger himself, the bassoon and harpsichord refrain from excessive ornamentation.
In other circumstances, I could imagine a more equitable sound balance, but
mix here really emphasises the oboe as solo instrument. And again, the limited
contrast of keys and themes between the movements is balanced by clearly delineated
tempos changes. A punchy, lively and elegant conclusion to a masterly Telemann
programme.
Gavin Dixon
A masterly Telemann programme.