Recordings of Handel’s Water Music come in floods, those of Telemann’s Wassermusik (more properly titled Hamburger Ebb und Fluth) in a gradually growing stream. Couplings of the two, however, are but a trickle, which is a surprise considering that their combined length is thoroughly convenient for CD. This recording was originally released in 1996, and thus predates its only direct rival, from the King’s Consort. The orchestral playing is of a good quality throughout, the Flemish period instrumentalists of Il Fondamento showing a healthy appetite for their task – who would not in such music? Handel’s glorious procession of beautifully crafted tunes seems just made for joining in, and his colourful scoring means that there is fun to be had for almost everyone – strings, horns, trumpets, oboes, recorder and bassoons.
Indeed, such is its strength that not much more is needed than to perform with musicianly relish, yet while Il Fondamento certainly do that, they also make the mistake of trying too hard. The trills of the very opening bars of the Ouverture, for instance, are fussy, while the Rigaudon later on is lumpishly mannered and the Lentement laboured.
The Telemann, by contrast, invites a more imaginative approach, as, unlike the Handel, this is music which deliberately depicts a number of watery subjects. Written for the centenary celebrations of the Hamburg Admiralty, it brings us a sleeping Thetis, an amorous Neptune, sporting Naiads, and a Gig which comes and goes with the tide, all pictured with Telemann’s customary cleverness and charm.
But it is the untitled Ouverture which is perhaps the most salty piece of tone-painting, a stirring evocation of the deep in which buoyant oboes are borne up like corks on a swell of strings. Again, though, Il Fondamento are a little heavy-handed and lacking in suavity. Make no mistake, this is an enjoyable disc, with more verve than the one from the King’s Consort, but it would benefit from a touch more of the latter’s naturalness