Customer Reviews

Telemann: Wind Concertos, Vol. 2

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As of the date of this review Amazon has not listed the contents of this CD, so I thought I would do that:

Concerto in C major, TWV 51:C1, for Recorder, Strings, Continuo
Concerto in D minor, TWV 53:D1, for 2 Oboes, Bassoon, Strings, Continuo
Concerto in G major, TWV 51:G1, for Transverse Flute, 2 Violins, Continuo
Concerto in D major, TWV 52:D1, for 2 Horns, Strings, Continuo
Concerto in F minor, TWV 51:F1, for Oboe, Strings, Continuo

This is the second of a series of releases of Telemann's wind concertos. There is no mention of whether there will be more. The musical forces are La Stagione Frankfurt in the 1st, 2nd and 4th listed concertos; Camerata Köln is heard in the 3rd and 5th listed concertos, all under the direction of Michael Schneider, who is also the recorder soloist in No. 1 which at 16+ minutes is the longest work here. That work's finale is a marvelous and formally complex minuet which gives the recorder soloist a real workout; Schneider plays with grace, spirit and fluidity.

The 2nd listed concerto is a bit old-fashioned for its time, harking back to the late 17th century with its strict form and rather grave manner. It is notable for its masterful imitative writing, especially in the second movement.

The 3rd concerto for flute is pastoral in tone, partially conveyed by its intentionally naïve harmonies and melodies. The fast second movement dances along charmingly. The Andante sounds like an elaborated recitativo accompagnato. The finale requires real virtuosity on the part of the flutist and makes quaint use of a musette drone.

The short (seven minutes) 4th concerto for two horns evokes, not surprisingly, hunting calls. But beyond that there are whirling string figures, mock-serious chorales, and bouncy and breathless allegros.

The 5th concerto for oboe is the only three-movement work here, modeled as it is on the Italian solo concerto. The opening movement is notable for its numerous and varied fugal ritornellos enclosing the oboe's solo passages; the form seems a precursor of the classical rondo. The second movement, Largo e piano, is a siciliano that features a solo cantilena full of pathos. The brief finale, Vivace, is surprisingly not a ritornello movement, but rather pits solo oboe passages against motivically opposed string passages.

This CD gives the lie to the old canard that Telemann wrote the same concerto repeatedly; these works are clearly differentiated and it is easy to listen to the entire 55 minute CD without losing interest or focus.

Scott Morrison