Search - Georg Philipp Telemann, Golden Age Orchestra :: Telemann: Tafelmusik, Vol. 3

5 stars for period performance; 3 for living tradition fans.

Frank T. Manheim | Fairfax VA | 11/23/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This third series in Tafelmusik's feast of different instrumental combinations starts with a quartet for two flutes and 2 bass instruments, in this case fulfilled by cello concertante and bassoon. Its 4th movement finishes with one of Telemann's rousing evocations of Polish mountain folk music "clad in an Italian coat". The cello comes out of hiding and delivers virtuosic "fiddle" passages. The Concerto in F starts almost like a Bach Brandenburg, but quickly moves into Telemann's less contrapuntal, harmonically inventive style. This piece, like the Sonata in A, and the Conclusion, are all in three movements, unlike Telemann's more usual 4-movement style. The "Conclusion" offers a driving competition between oboe and trumpet as solo instruments with string orchestra. This brilliant piece serves as one of the bridging themes for "C-Span" on TV and radio, and offers the a conclusion appealing to both living tradition and period performance fans."