Telemann Paris Quartets
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Georg Philipp Telemann
Label: Centaur
Magazine Review Date: 8/1996
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 72
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: CRC2260
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Paris Quartets, 'Quadri' |
Georg Philipp Telemann, Composer
Boston Museum Trio Christopher Krueger, Flute Georg Philipp Telemann, Composer |
Author: Nicholas Anderson
The six works in this programme were published by Telemann in Hamburg in 1730 under the title Quadri a violino, flauto traversiere, viola da gamba e fondamento. The collection is subdivided into two each of sonatas, concertos and suites though all are in fact quartets, as the title indicates. There is little to distinguish the “sonatas” from the “concertos” other than layout; a basic three-movement pattern is adopted for the concertos which is a little surprising, perhaps, given the composer’s own apparent preference for a four-movement scheme in his orchestral concertos. The sonatas, on the other hand, are cast in the four-movement da chiesa pattern. The suites are just that, in each instance an opening prelude being followed by a contrasting sequence of dances. This was Telemann’s first printed collection of quartets, though very possibly not his earliest essays in quartet writing.
For these six pieces the Boston Museum Trio have engaged the services of baroque flautist Christopher Krueger to make up the quartet. The results are delightful. Telemann’s practical knowledge of the instruments for which he was writing is thoroughly informed and thus we find him always operating in registers which best reflect their tonal strengths. But it is the sensibility with which these players respond to the composer’s delicately wrought textures and gentle inflexions that lend beguiling charm to the performances. The music is unfaltering in its capacity to entertain and there are many instances when it rivals the later, better known set of Paris Quartets which Telemann had printed there in 1738. The present set, too, had in fact been published in Paris a couple of years earlier, but without the composer’s permission. Among the loveliest of all is the Sonata prima in A major whose opening Soave is vintage Telemann and is written in his most seductive manner. “Je suis grand Partisan de la Musique Francoise, je l’avoue” he once confessed to Johann Mattheson. Confirmation of his Francophilia is present in almost every sighing gesture of this touching piece; it is, in a word, irresistible.
Fine performances of expressive and deftly crafted music. A rewarding release.'
For these six pieces the Boston Museum Trio have engaged the services of baroque flautist Christopher Krueger to make up the quartet. The results are delightful. Telemann’s practical knowledge of the instruments for which he was writing is thoroughly informed and thus we find him always operating in registers which best reflect their tonal strengths. But it is the sensibility with which these players respond to the composer’s delicately wrought textures and gentle inflexions that lend beguiling charm to the performances. The music is unfaltering in its capacity to entertain and there are many instances when it rivals the later, better known set of Paris Quartets which Telemann had printed there in 1738. The present set, too, had in fact been published in Paris a couple of years earlier, but without the composer’s permission. Among the loveliest of all is the Sonata prima in A major whose opening Soave is vintage Telemann and is written in his most seductive manner. “Je suis grand Partisan de la Musique Francoise, je l’avoue” he once confessed to Johann Mattheson. Confirmation of his Francophilia is present in almost every sighing gesture of this touching piece; it is, in a word, irresistible.
Fine performances of expressive and deftly crafted music. A rewarding release.'
Telemann Paris Quartets
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