INKPOT#79 CLASSICAL MUSIC REVIEWS: TELEMANN Paris Quartets. Florilegium (Channel)

Georg Philipp TELEMANN
(1681-1767)

Paris Quartets
Sonata Seconda in G Minor
Fantasie No.5 in A major (Violin)
Sonata Prima in A Major
Fantasie No.7 in D major (Flute)
Concerto Secondo in D major
Fantasie No.8 in G minor (Harpsichord)
Premiere Suite in E Minor

FLORELIGIUM
Ashley Solomon flute · Rachel Podger violin · Daniel Yeadon da gamba
Neal Peres Da Costa harpsichord · Elizabeth Kenny theorbo

CHANNEL CLASSICS CCS 13598
[65:12] full-price

TELEMANN was a contemporary of Bach and a good friend of Handel and the Bach family - he was godfather to CPE. During his life, he was considered the preeminent German composer and his fame far overshadowed Bach's (Bach was actually the third choice for the post of Kantor at Leipzig, Telemann being the first). Time never quite forgot him, though it was quite unkind to him during the Bach Renaissance period of the 19th century - "Magdeburgian scribbler" he was called by some critics. The reason was undoubtedly his prodigious musical output that exceeded that of Bach and Handel's combined (try 1500 cantatas for starters!).

It may be true that Telemann could compose faster than most of us can write ABC.., and his unbelievable output inevitably has a lots of duds, but there is no reason to think of him as just another hack. While he may not represent the towering culmination of Baroque as Bach did, his music is uniformly inventive, full of joie de vivre, and when played stylishly, as it is on this disc, very persuasive. His adventurousness and invention can be seen in Der Tod Jesù (1755), which can be placed halfway between Baroque and Classical forms. It is certain CPE Bach was more influenced by his godfather than his father in developing his Classical sensibilities. So lets cut this guy some slack and try to enjoy his music on his own terms. OK?

Telemann's Nouveaux quators en six Suites have interesting gossip behind them that the liner notes here neglect to mention. In 1736, when Telemann married Maria Katerina Textor from Frankfurt, he was already fifty-five years of age, the lady considerably younger, and Viagra about 250 years in the future. Not long after the marriage the lady ran away with a young adventurer, leaving Telemann to pay for the mink coats and diamond rings. The bills came up to 3000 thalers (a lot of money!), and though comfortably off, Telemann felt the pinch.

So he decided to sell the rights of the first six "Paris" quartets (already published in Hamburg in 1730) to Le Clerc in Paris. Their runaway success prompted a further sale of six in 1738 in French style, and a visit by the master to Paris. French style was not new to Telemann who was a fan of Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) and whose "French overture" so impressed him that he composed about a thousand of them (sheesh!). Quite obviously sick of the genre, he did not use the overture in any of the movements on this disc, though the compositions are quite obviously inspired by the French style within an Italian structure.

These are quartets in the true sense of the word, unlike trio sonatas that Telemann scored for the same instruments. The three virtuostic melody lines are to be played on flute, violin and viola da gamba with the harpsichord accompanying. The G minor and A major sonata are both faithful to the Germanic style and have four movements alternating slow-fast-slow-fast (Andante-Allegro-Largo-Allegro in the first and Soave-Allegro- Andante-Vivace in second). The D minor concerto (concerto pour quartet?) is more Italianate in its virtuostic character and three-movement structure. The E minor ballet or suite leans towards the French style (though no overture, or any other classical dance) and is altogether more light-hearted in the spirit of gay Paris, containing a Prelude and dances such as a Rigaudon, Menuets and Gigue.

The "value-added" of this CD comes from the threes Fantasies, one each for violin, flute and harpsichord respectively, obtained from dubious sources but welcome nevertheless. The violin fantasie is rather propulsive, in three movements and reminds me of the didactic beauty of Bach's sonatas and partitas. The flute fantasie is in true French style, with an overture and fugue followed by a bourrée-type movement. The harpsichord fantasie is truly daring and can be argued to be looking forward towards early classical sonata forms.

This is a second disc of Telemann's chamber music from this source (the first was CCS 5093), and if it is anything to go by, the quartet has matured considerably. This time around the tempos are a bit more relaxed, allowing each instrumental line a bit more space to breathe and for the convoluted Baroque writing to reveal its structure. There is an overwhelming sense of control and style, and the tone of the instruments is truly ravishing. I truly enjoyed the Suite in E minor (pity it's the last work on the disc), in which the players truly let go with full throttle (there is also Elizabeth Kenny on theorbo in this mix). The Minuette and Gigue movements are especially stylishly executed.

While Floreligium works especially well as a quartet, I reserve special mention for both the string players. Daniel Yeadon is very assured on the viola da gamba - his instrument has a lovely tone in his hands and his playing has that special undeniable delicacy that makes his contributions unique. One regrets the loss of Telemann's 12 fantasies for viola da gamba, which would have allowed Yeadon a chance for a solo recital.

Rachel Podger on her 1739 Pesarinius violin is truly a marvel, her ravishing period tone fully equal to Manze at his best, her digital dexterity quite amazing. She is given space to show off her talents in the Fantasie for Violin, which is easily my favourite track on the disc (did I hear that Podger is coming out with a disc of Bach's sonatas and partitas? Yes indeed, and it is reviewed here).

The only slightly disappointing track is that of Ashley Solomon playing the Fantasie No.7 for flute. While her playing is serviceable, it does not live up to the extraordinary standards of the rest of the disc, and there is a certain perceptible note smudging going on here. The situation is not helped by noticeably different balances for the solo tracks (especially this [10]), where the soloists are recessed and the acoustics reverberate.

But the general recording quality on this disc, especially for the quartets, heralds the coming of age of digital recording. Indeed the recording closely approaches the quality of the best of vinyl (and let the audiophile brotherhood hang me for saying this). Just listen to end the of track 2 where the decay of the last note played on viola da gamba is so deliciously captured. The soundstage is natural and live and creates a very palpable image of the players. The instrument tones are lovingly captured in all their gut colours. The solo passages seem to be balanced rather differently and I have some reservations about their quality (though I do suspect the compromise was made to maintain a uniform gain level between the quartets and solo works).

All in all, a marvellous collection, generously filled, largely stylishly played and well recorded. Highly recommended. Take this as my entry to Inkpot annual awards issue! (If there was one! - Ed.)

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