Violin Sonatas - Frankfurt 1715
Sonata I in g minor (TWV 41,g1) [7:25]
Sonata II in D (TWV 41,D1) [12:15]
Sonata III in b minor (TWV 41,h1) [9:58]
Sonata IV in G (TWV 41,G1) [8:45]
Sonata V in a minor (TWV 41,a1) [10:27]
Sonata VI in A (TWV 41,A1) [10:36]
Ouverture in g minor (TWV 41,g4) [10:54]
Stephan Schardt (violin), Elisabeth Wand (cello), Sonja Kemnitzer (harpsichord)
rec. 20 - 22 May 2013, Konzerthaus of Abtei Marienmünster, Germany. DDD
MUSIKPRODUKTION DABRINGHAUS UND GRIMM MDG 903 1835-6 SACD [70:32]
Georg Philipp Telemann was one of the most prolific composers of the
baroque era. His production in almost any genre of his time has overshadowed
his capabilities as a performer. We know that he played most then common
instruments, and even some less common, such as the trombone and the mandora,
a type of bass lute. However, it seems that he wasn't a true virtuoso
on any of them. He himself considered the violin as his first instrument.
When he was Kapellmeister in Eisenach, among the members of the
chapel was Pantaleon Hebenstreit, not only the inventor of a type of hammer
dulcimer but also a brilliant violinist. When they had to play together
Telemann locked himself up and practised diligently "so that I would
be somewhat able to rise up against his power".
This confirms the impression that he certainly was a capable performer
but not a real virtuoso. He probably didn't consider that a major
problem as he didn't like virtuosity anyway. It is this feature
of many Italian concertos which made him keep some distance from the Italian
style. He generally preferred the French taste. "In most concertos
that I saw, I encountered difficulties and crooked leaps but little harmony
and still worse melody, hating the former because they were inconvenient
to my hand and my bow, while I could neither love nor imitate them because
I missed the latter qualities, my ear being accustomed to them in French
pieces".
Telemann's music for violin generally avoids too much virtuosity:
double-stopping is very rare, and he didn't exceed the fourth position
in his sonatas. It is also telling that the six sonatas recorded here
are Telemann's only sonatas exclusively for the violin. In others
it is one of the options; these can also be played by, for instance, the
transverse flute or the oboe. As much as Telemann preferred the French
style and kept the Italian taste at some distance, Stephan Schardt believes
that these sonatas are strongly influenced by Vivaldi. In his liner-notes
he regularly refers to the latter's sonatas op. 2 which include
various features which are also present in Telemann's sonatas.
He also mentions influences from Corelli and Albinoni.
These sonatas are all in four movements, following the model of Arcangelo
Corelli. They seem to have been ordered according to a certain pattern:
the odd sonatas are in minor keys, the even sonatas in the major. The
first two sonatas are a sonata da chiesa and a sonata da
camera respectively, the third and fourth are sonate da chiesa
and the last two sonate da camera. Later Telemann reprinted them
in a different order. Here the original order of the first edition is
followed.
As one should expect from Telemann these sonatas include various notable
features, not least several movements in which he shows his great admiration
for folk music, especially from Poland. Examples are the second movement
from the Sonata III and the last movement from the Sonata
IV. Other aspects include the wide leaps in the opening movement
of Sonata II, the sudden modulation at the end of the last movement
from Sonata V and the syncopation in the corrente from
Sonata VI.
The programme is completed with the Ouverture in g minor which
is included in Der getreue Music-Meister, a collection of vocal
and instrumental pieces which was published in 1728/29 in the form of
a periodical. It comprises six movements, and closes with a piece called
Irlandoise. In his liner-notes Schardt rightly states that it
is questionable whether Telemann had ever heard Irish music. It seems
that at that time a degree of fantasy reigned in respect of countries
and cultures of which most people probably knew next to nothing.
Schardt also talks about issues in regard to interpretation. In the case
of the Overture he writes that "we have made up for the lack of orchestral
colours by varying the harpsichord registration and contrasts in dynamics".
I have no objections to that but I find his reasoning less than convincing.
The overture was not only an orchestral form, it could be used for any
scoring, including harpsichord solo.
From 2000 to 2005 Stephan Schardt was leader of the German ensemble Musica
Antiqua Köln. That makes one expect a style of playing which is in
line with what was typical of this ensemble. As I have always greatly
admired that style I can't help feeling a little disappointed by
these performances. Dynamically Schardt's playing is much less
differentiated than I had expected, and the same goes for treatment of
stressed and unstressed notes. In various slow movements he plays legato
surprisingly often. I could not find a score so I can't tell whether
this is indicated by Telemann, but I very much doubt it as it is not in
line with what was common in his era.
Don't misunderstand me: this is a nice disc which fills a gap in
the Telemann discography as - to my knowledge - it is the first recording
of these sonatas. It is just that I had expected more and a somewhat different
approach. I realise that some may bother less about the features I have
criticized. They should not hesitate to add this disc to their collection.
Johan van Veen
http://www.musica-dei-donum.org
https://twitter.com/johanvanveen
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