As ever, Charivari Agréable demonstrate their determined ingenuity in finding and adapting music based around their core line-up of viol and continuo; all the pieces here feature either one or two viols, their mellow bass sonorities offset by a flute, but only half include viol in their original designated scoring. One hardly imagines that Telemann would have minded this expediency, however, while for listeners today such willingness to renew and rethink the repertoire is one of the constant pleasures of Baroque music.

Here we have three typically delightful quartet sonatas and a sonata for solo viola da gamba by Telemann alongside works by two of his godsons: CPE Bach, represented by a dapperly turned harpsichord “Arioso” with lightweight gamba accompaniment, and a distinctly JS-like chorale fantasy; and Georg Philipp Kress, a new name to most no doubt, but the composer here of two pleasant if underwhelming trio sonatas.

Charivari Agréable offer tasteful and well behaved performances whose gentle sound contrasts interestingly with the more firmly chiselled and urgent readings of two of the Telemann quartets released last year (with violins instead of viols) by Musica Antiqua Köln (Archiv, 11/05). It is a comparison that leaves, say, the first movement of G12 sounding sedate, if not downright dawdling, in Charivari’s hands, but some listeners may well appreciate the latter’s preference for grace over high energy. Even so, a little more focus to the balance would have been welcome, and Rachel Moss’s flute-playing needs to find a touch more overall refinement. No niggles about Susanne Heinrich’s account of the Telemann solo sonata though, which in its vigorous musicality is first-rate.