Telemann: 12 Fantasias [Import]

Georg Philipp Telemann (Composer), Andrew Manze (Performer), Caroline Balding (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Andrew Manze, Caroline Balding
• Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann
• Audio CD (February 9, 1996)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
• ASIN: B0000007EP
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #233,555 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MAGICAL, MYSTICAL, TERRIFIC TELEMANN!, September 26, 2000

By 

Melvyn M. Sobel "Melvyn M. Sobel" (Freeport, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Telemann: 12 Fantasias (Audio CD)

Telemann's Twelve Fantasias extend far beyond the sound worlds of either Bach or Biber in both depth of emotion and an obvious vulnerability. There is little rhetoric here, only a passionate musical intensity that seems to well up from the composer's very soul. Manze, performing on a Gagliano (1783), continually hypnotizes, his violin captured beautifully in an immensely flattering acoustic, never acerbic, but resonating with a tone much richer and darker-hued and "vocal" than is common with period instruments. The Fantasias, themselves, are marvelous, phantasmagorical "inventions" of infinite wonder and design, yet retain a staggering ability to appear completely improvisational. That Manze is committed to these incredible pieces is unquestionable. His playing is simply stunning, without drawing attention to his own phenomenal virtuosity or the extreme difficulties inherent in each Fantasia. The "Gulliver Suite" for two violins (with Caroline Balding playing a 1783 Amati/Cremona), derived, obviously, from Swift's book, is, at just over seven minutes, a pleasant diversion that brings upbeat closure to the CD.

[Running time: 78:18]

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Catalog of Riches, November 6, 2001

By 

"blankwal" (Beverly Hills, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Telemann: 12 Fantasias (Audio CD)

Telemann's 12 Fantasias for solo violin (1735) are intriguingly elusive. Their brief movements offer a whirlwind tour of European manners and styles. The player's resources are laid bare -- no overarching formal design (this isn't Bach), and few openings for virtuosic display.

Andrew Manze is a star of the period-instrument set. Lightning reflexes (and wits) and improvisatory flair are his strengths -- precisely what this music demands. His playing is a catalog of riches. Compare two concluding allegros -- No. 4, with its bustling near-orchestral accompaniment sharply set against the melody, and No. 11, all fantastic lightness. Or the Italianate curves of No. 6's graceful Siciliana. Caroline Balding seconds Manze impeccably in the encore, a playful suite inspired by "Gulliver's Travels."

The sound is typical of Harmonia Mundi's best -- a close, unimpeded perspective, as mellow as it is brilliant.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this disk - can hardly get enough of it, July 13, 2001

By 

Frank Paris (Beaverton, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Telemann: 12 Fantasias (Audio CD)

This is an extremely enjoyable, listenable disk. I love the Bach solo sonatas but they should not be compared to the Telemann, which is a completely different thing, "easy listening" by comparison and full of memorable tunes. The disk does not wear thin. It's sitting in my car CD player right now and I must have listened to it 25 times and simply haven't been motivated to replace it, because I haven't gotten tired of it!