Customer Reviews

Telemann Concertos

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This 3 CD collection is an unusual concatenation of music by four three separate groups, two period performance and two semi-traditional. Two of the CD's (nos. 1 and 2) could be purchased separately at much higher cost. But one powerful and unusual concerto that I had not heard previously, Concerto in E minor for flute, violin, and strings, by Jed Wentz and Musica ad Rhenum evidently comes from an album not available from Amazon. The same is true for the Overture in C major for 3 oboes, and the Concerto in D major for trumpet, 2 oboes and strings, by the Amsterdam Bach Soloists

The first CD, by Martin Haselboeck with the Wiener Akademie, includes the rare and extraordinary Cricket Symphony (Grillensymphonie), or El Grillo of Telemann. That work features, as solo instruments piccolo, two double basses (!), chalumeau (early version of the clarinet), oboe, and violin. The final movement is in the earthy Polish folk style that Telemann exploited the same way that Joseph Haydn would later exploit Hungarian gypsy styles in his chamber and orchestral compositions.

The second CD is six oboe concerti played by Thomas Indermuehle with the English Chamber Orchestra, available separately in a Novalis Record at $21. See my review of this.

On the third CD the Concerto in E minor for flute, violin and strings, offers an extraordinary display of unexpected, virtuosic instrumental ensemble effects whose impact on the listeners in Telemann's time must have been startling, to say the least. I can't resist the temptation to try to sketch a few details of the openings of the movements.

The opening Allegro begins with a series of rapid upward moving scales with the entire orchestra in unison, each successive scale entering on a lower pitch, until the halted by two powerful chords followed by a downmoving broken couplets. All this has our full attention when the flute enters with what sounds like it might be a fugal passage - but no, the solo violin unexpectedly takes up the opening scalar passages that the orchestra had played in unison. At a repetition flute takes up its theme again, this time with violin in duet and the entire orchestra now commences the scalar passages with powerful effect.

In the Adagio the flute begins with a languorous theme, soon lazily chased by the violin - all this accompanied by plucked strings. In the third movement dazzingly rapid arpeggios by the soloists are superimposed on robust marching chords of the orchestra.

The final adagio-allegro begins with a short but agonizingly mournful theme in flute and violin, accompanied by eerie sequences of otherwordly minor 7ths and 9ths in the strings, the whole finally brought to a close with a ringing harpschord arpeggiated chord. The final Allegro brings all the forces - soloists as well as the strings together, interacting with each other using several rhythmic figures that are exchanged among different orchestral instruments, as well as soloists.

It's this integral use of the orchestra as an equal and often divided partner with the soloist(s) that I have found is one of the major differences between Telemann and most baroque other composers, except J.S. Bach. However in Bach it's the counterpoint that's important, not, in most cases, the variation in instrumental textures, rhythmic contrasts, and combinations.

Some minor downsides can be mentioned - a few inexplicable wrong notes or flaws in the first CD set and only sketchy, two page liner notes. However, I found Concerto for flute and violin in E alone worth the price of the CD set. This, along with inclusion of so many varied concerti in striking instrumental combinations makes this a decidedly recommendable set.

I wasn't taking much of a chance on this 3 disc assortment of Telemann when I paid only $9 plus shipping for a new set from an Amazon reseller. I was not disappointed: the variety of the program is excellent and the music is very well played and recorded.

When one thinks of Telemann one automatically thinks of the trumpet, but he wrote a variety of concertos for other instruments and I was looking forward to hearing some of them. Because the Amazon product description does not detail the contents of this set, I wasn't sure what I was getting. As it turns out, there are only three concertos for trumpet on the entire set, though all are very good and intelligently programmed with the other concertos. There are also concertos for flute, recorder and strings; flute, violin and strings; and other concertos combining these and other instruments. I especially enjoyed the second disc, which features six appealing oboe concertos.

All in all, a very recommendable set even at twice the price.

List of works:

Symphony no 1 in G major, TV 50 no 1 "Il grillo" by Georg Philipp Telemann
Conductor: Martin Haselböck
Orchestra/Ensemble: Vienna Academy
Written: circa 1765; Hamburg, Germany
Date of Recording: 12/1994
Venue: Vienna, Austria
Length: 9 Minutes 12 Secs.


2. Concerto for 3 Trumpets, 2 Oboes, Timpani and Strings in D major, TV 54 no D 3 by Georg Philipp Telemann
Conductor: Martin Haselböck
Orchestra/Ensemble: Vienna Academy
Written: 1716; Germany
Date of Recording: 12/1994
Venue: Vienna, Austria
Length: 9 Minutes 49 Secs.


3. Concerto for Flute, Oboe d'Amore and Viola d'Amore in E major, TV 53 no E 1 by Georg Philipp Telemann

Conductor: Martin Haselböck
Orchestra/Ensemble: Vienna Academy
Written: circa 1730-1740; Hamburg, Germany
Date of Recording: 12/1994
Venue: Viena, Austria
Length: 17 Minutes 18 Secs.


4. Concerto for Recorder and Flute in E minor, TV 52 no e 1 by Georg Philipp Telemann

Conductor: Martin Haselböck
Orchestra/Ensemble: Vienna Academy
Written: Germany
Date of Recording: 12/1994
Venue: Vienna, Austria
Length: 13 Minutes 0 Secs.


5. Concerto for Oboe in C minor by Georg Philipp Telemann

Performer: Thomas Indermühle (Oboe)
Conductor: Thomas Indermühle
Orchestra/Ensemble: English Chamber Orchestra
Written: Germany
Length: 8 Minutes 32 Secs.


6. Concerto for Oboe in D minor by Georg Philipp Telemann

Performer: Thomas Indermühle (Oboe)
Conductor: Thomas Indermühle
Orchestra/Ensemble: English Chamber Orchestra
Length: 8 Minutes 1 Secs.


7. Concerto for Trumpet and 2 Oboes in D major by Georg Philipp Telemann

Orchestra/Ensemble: Musica ad Rhenum
Length: 9 Minutes 39 Secs.


8. Overture-Suite for Recorder, Strings and Basso Continuo in A minor, TV 55 no a 2 by Georg Philipp Telemann

Performer: Jed Wentz (Flute)
Orchestra/Ensemble: Musica ad Rhenum
Written: Germany
Length: 30 Minutes 17 Secs.


9. Concerto for Violin, Cello, Trumpet and Strings in D major, TV 53 no D 5 by Georg Philipp Telemann

Conductor: Martin Haselböck
Orchestra/Ensemble: Vienna Academy
Written: Germany
Date of Recording: 12/1994
Venue: Vienna, Austria
Length: 12 Minutes 6 Secs.


10. Concerto for Oboe in E minor, TV 51 no e 1 by Georg Philipp Telemann

Performer: Thomas Indermühle (Oboe)
Conductor: Thomas Indermühle
Orchestra/Ensemble: English Chamber Orchestra
Written: circa 1712-1721; Frankfurt, Germany
Length: 10 Minutes 54 Secs.


11. Concerto for Oboe d'Amore in A major, TV 51 no A 2 by Georg Philipp Telemann

Performer: Thomas Indermühle (Oboe)
Conductor: Thomas Indermühle
Orchestra/Ensemble: English Chamber Orchestra
Length: 13 Minutes 50 Secs.

12. Concerto for Oboe and 2 Violins in D major, TV 51 no D 5 "Gratioso" by Georg Philipp Telemann

Performer: Thomas Indermühle (Oboe)
Conductor: Thomas Indermühle
Orchestra/Ensemble: English Chamber Orchestra
Length: 8 Minutes 40 Secs.


13. Concerto for Oboe d'Amore in G major, TV 51 no G 3 by Georg Philipp Telemann

Performer: Thomas Indermühle (Oboe)
Conductor: Thomas Indermühle
Orchestra/Ensemble: English Chamber Orchestra
Written: Hamburg, Germany
Length: 14 Minutes 38 Secs.


Notes: Composition written: Hamburg, Germany (Circa 1725 - Circa 1735).


14. Concerto for Flute and Violin in E minor, TV 52 no e 3 by Georg Philipp Telemann

Performer: Jed Wentz (Flute)
Orchestra/Ensemble: Musica ad Rhenum
Length: 8 Minutes 54 Secs.


15. Overture-Suite in C major, TV 55 no C 6 by Georg Philipp Telemann

Performer: Orchestra/Ensemble: Amsterdam Bach Soloists
Written: 18th Century; Germany
Length: 25 Minutes 31 Secs

Recently I've become a huge Telemann fan and cannot get enough of his work. I added these concertos to my collection and enjoy them very much. The music is relaxing but doesn't put you to sleep.

Good price and as always fast shipping by Amazon.
Enjoy!

It is told that Georg Philipp Telemann was more famous than J.S. Bach in Germany. So I think we can analogize the taste of the audience in the early eighteen century.

For more specific, I'd like to add 'for wind instruments' after the title of this recording. Sometimes the trumpet concerto remind Handel's magnificant works. As you see the work list in this page, the organization of instruments is unique and various just like Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto for multi-instruments.


Finally,
it is interesting that one of the most famous music of Telemann is included in each 3 discs. Perfect selection for Telemann beginners.

DISC ONE
Concerto for recorder, flute, strings & continuo in E minor, TWV 52:e1
DISC TWO
Concerto for oboe, strings & continuo in D minor, TWV 51:d1
DISC THREE
Suite for recorder (or flute), strings & continuo in A minor TWV 55:a2