TELEMANN The Autograph Scores - Chandos CHAN0787 [JV]: Classical Music Reviews

During his long life Georg Philipp Telemann composed a large amount of music. Until his death He remained active in this field until death intervened and this disc includes some of his last compositions. These date from 1766 and were written on the occasion of the nameday of Ludwig VIII, Landgrave of Darmstadt. Although he complained about his failing eyesight Telemann was highly motivated to compose some works for the Landgrave. They have been preserved in a manuscript which belonged to his grandson Georg Michael. These nine pieces are exactly half of the 18 works which have been preserved in Telemann's own handwriting.

Three compositions in the programme were written for the Landgrave. In two of them a pair of horns play a prominent role. The horn was usually associated with the hunt - one of the main occupations of princes and aristocrats. Moreover the Landgrave was known for being a fanatical huntsman. The Overture in F is scored for two horns, bassoon, strings and bc and is headed by a dedication to Ludwig VIII. It has been suggested that this piece may have been performed in the Landgrave's hunting palace near Darmstadt. This Overture includes various passages with hunting motifs. Some movements are for strings only, and there are passages for a trio of two horns and bassoon. The piece closes with 'La Tempête', a musical depiction of a thunderstorm.

Quite different in character is the Overture in D which is scored for two transverse flutes, bassoon, strings and bc. The most striking feature is the inclusion of a 'Plainte', a kind of piece which also frequently turns up in French music of the 17th century, both in operas and in instrumental music. It lends this overture a rather old-fashioned character. It is interrupted by a lively gaillarde. Also in this overture are a sarabande - another slow dance - and a passacaille, a further reference to French music. It then comes as a surprise that the Overture ends with a Fanfare which has been allocated a different number in the catalogue of Telemann’s oeuvre. According to most scholars it was intended as the last movement of the Overture. All of a sudden a horn joins the orchestra which has to be interpreted as another reference to the Landgrave’s love of hunting. It brings this rather introverted orchestral suite to an exuberant close.

The disc ends with the Divertimento in E flat, one of three compositions in Telemann's oeuvre which bear this name. The other two are for strings and bc. This one includes parts for two flutes and two horns. Scholars are not completely sure that it was written for the Landgrave, but it seems very likely. It depicts a day in the life of a prince or aristocrat. After an introductory allegro we hear 'La Réveille', then the 'conversation at the table', followed by the reveille for the hunting party. When this is over we get the meal and the piece closes with the retreat, which is depicted by a dance. According to the booklet this piece is recorded here for the first time.

The two remaining works are from an earlier date. They are very different in scoring and character. I don't understand why more pieces from the same manuscript were not performed instead. The Concerto in D is in fact a quartet for strings and bc. In his liner-notes Nicholas Anderson states that this is an early version of one of the quartets for transverse flute, violin, viola and bc in the Quatrième Livre de quatuors which were published in Paris somewhere between 1752 and 1760. This string version may date from before 1716. As in many early works counterpoint plays an important role; the second movement is a fugal vivace.

The Overture in A is one of a number of orchestral suites which includes a solo part, in this case for the violin. Telemann scholar Steven Zohn calls this kind of overture a concert en ouverture. It also shows French influence and it has been suggested that Telemann could have written it after a stay in Paris in 1737/38. For a long time it was considered a fragment in three movements as a part of the original material was destroyed during World War II. In later years it has been reconstructed to the form in which it is played here. It begins with the traditional ouverture which is followed by six movements with the title Invention. These are mostly dances, such as rigaudon, passepied or gavotte en rondeau. The most remarkable Invention is the third, which - despite its indication as an alternation of grave and vite - is rather Italian in style, and has the character of an operatic scene. Invention V includes passages for the violin in which use is made of the bariolage technique.

Simon Standage has made many recordings with music by Telemann. It is for that reason that in 2010 he received the Georg-Philipp-Telemann-Preis from the city of Magdeburg, where Telemann was born. That is surely well-deserved. I have to admit, though, that I am always rather sceptical when British ensembles play German baroque music, and Standage's interpretations are no exception. The performances on this disc are pretty good, but if you compare them with recordings of German ensembles the latter come out on top. These have more nuance in the interpretation, for instance in regard to articulation and the treatment of dynamics. The tempo contrasts in these performances are rather moderate. The tempo of the forlane in the Overture in F can hardly be considered très vite as Telemann required. It is especially in the playing of the strings where Standage and his players fail to secure a really satisfying result. On the other hand, the execution of the parts for the flutes and the horns is outstanding. The bassoon is a bit underexposed, probably due to the recording rather than the bassoonist's playing.

As the works on this disc belong to the lesser-known parts of Telemann's oeuvre and his music never fails to entertain, lovers of his music should surely consider this disc.

Johan van Veen
http://www.musica-dei-donum.org
https://twitter.com/johanvanveen

see also review by Dominy Clements

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