Availing himself of his recently acquired ''Privilege du Roi'' Telemann published his six Nouveaux quatuors en six suites in Paris in 1738. The composer himself was enjoying the city's hospitality at the time and may well have played the keyboard continuo when the six Paris Quartets, as they have become known, were first performed at the public concert series, the Concert Spirituel. ''If only words were enough to describe the wonderful way in which the quartets were played by Herr Blavet (flute), Forcroy [Forqueray] the son (viola da gamba), and Edouard (cello)'', Telemann recalled in the following year, ''Suffice it to say they caught the attention of Court and city in a big way, and almost at once earned for me almost universal respect accompanied by boundless courtesy''.
This new recording of all six of the 1738 Quartets is, I think, only the third complete set to have been issued on disc, so far. Earliest by far were performances by Quadro Amsterdam made some 30 years ago (Telefunken, 3/67 and 1/70—nla). Then, much more recently has come a set by the Pariser Quartett on three CDs of the 1738 Quartets together with an earlier group of six, issued in Hamburg in 1730 and subsequently in Paris in a pirated edition (Adda—not submitted for review). Common to all three versions is the decision to omit the cello from the continuo which is provided by harpsichord alone. But Quadro Amsterdam further dispenses with the viola da gamba, substituting a cello as the third voice of the melodic texture.
Arita and the Tokyo Baroque Trio—which includes the French harpsichordist Christophe Rousset—give a spirited and virtuoso account of the music. Care has been taken over the internal balance and the strands of the texture come across lucidly and with appropriate sharing of emphasis. Telemann was greatly admired for his trio and quartet writing and it is not hard to understand why. The melodies are at once engaging and the ideas are developed economically, affectingly and with a variety which seldom fails to hold the listener's attention. I did not feel that these artists always probed beyond superficialities in the writing, relying too much on simple dynamic contrast to sustain interest. It is in this respect that the Quadro Amsterdam version perhaps remains unsurpassed. Every nuance is savoured and the music is approached with abundant good humour and expressive finesse. We may regret the absence of a viola da gamba, but a cello in the hands of Anner Bylsma, a flute played by Frans Bruggen, violin by Jaap Schroder and harpsichord by Gustav Leonhardt together afford stiff competition. Arita and the Tokyo group are always graceful in their phrasing and clear in articulation, but they fail to respond to the often acute sensibility of Telemann's style as readily as the Amsterdam players whose affective range is wider. But this is none the less accomplished playing, stylish and by no means unsympathetic. The Telefunken set is scheduled for reissue on Teldec when readers can make up their own minds. The newcomer can be confidently recommended meanwhile.'