This seems something of a contrived issue. The Concerto in A minor was written for a treble recorder and viola da gamba, Telemann knew exactly what textures and sonorities he was aiming for and, whilst he probably would not have been too dismayed by the presence of a viola as opposed to a bass viol, the fact is that quite a substantial loss of subtlety in colouring is incurred by tinkering with the instrumentation. Other subtleties, too, are not fully realized in this rather glossy reading. The soloists, Michala Petri and Pinchas Zukerman are no strangers to the performing conventions of baroque repertoire. Both artists phrase their music carefully and listen to each other; and there is no shortage of tasteful ornamentation. Zukerman's viola tone is firm and rounded, and his intonation exemplary; Petri's playing is as fluent and reliable as we have come to expect of her and the orchestral support is lively if a little weighty at times. What then is the problem you might inquire. It is perhaps more than anything else the somewhat mechanical approach to the music, a rhythmic rigidity and consequently an inescapable blandness.
The remainder of the disc is a curious mixture of pieces. There are two Trios by Telemann in C major and F major respectively, a Duo in C major and a Concerto in G major for treble recorder and orchestra by a late-eighteenth, early-nineteenth-century composer by the name of Anton Heberle. Heberle's music is unashamedly lightweight and recalls the brilliant but superficial style of the many Diabelli variations which were popular in the first half of the nineteenth century. This attractive work is played with sparkle and elan by Michala Petri and should have a wide appeal. In the Trios and the Duo Petri is joined by Zukerman who plays violin in two of the works and viola in the other. All three pieces come off well though there is an uncharacteristic lapse in violin intonation towards the end of the Duo.
To sum up, there is plenty to enjoy on this disc and admirers of these two gifted solo artists will not need to be reassured on that score. Readers who respond to Telemann's intuitive and often pioneering sense of orchestral sonority, however, will probably not wish to settle for this performance of the Concerto in A minor. It is high time incidentally, that Archiv Produktion issued on CD the lively account of the work by Cologne Musica Antiqua made in 1980 and, at present, unavailable. The new issue is well recorded but somewhat ill documented.'