Telemann - Music for Violins
The baroque period, if you’ve been a student of musical history, was all about the basso continuo, the foundation of all music that was played by a keyboard or other bass instrument. Figured bass was used, a numbering system to help the player fill in the chordal information that would help fill out the texture, especially important when a solo instrument such as a violin was paired with one or more players in the bass role.
Telemann left us music for instruments without bass, and isn’t the only to do so, of course, but in this album, Enrico Onofri dispenses with his continuo team to feature music for 2-4 violins without the support of the continuous bass. Several of these works have already appeared on record, but this is the first to combine the concertos and sonatas together to my knowledge.
The duos often appear for flutes/recorders but sound equally well on violin.
Probably the most well-known piece to my ears is the 4-violin concerto TWV 40:202 in D which I am familiar with by way of Musica Antiqua Köln. My records indicate that they first recorded the piece in 1979 and going back to listen to that album reveals some fine playing.
I am happy to report that Onofri and friends exceed the delight proffered in the MAK recording; their ornaments send the concerto to a new place, all the while with a sound that comes across as less brittle. There is something to admire about the closer miking used in the earlier recording, there’s more detail, I think, without the distance perceived in this recording from Passcaille. I'm politely saying that the playing is so good I want to be even closer, especially when listening with headphones.
Two more concertos are included, the C major and the G major opens the CD. I feel the sound of all four players blends well, playing a mixture of historical and historical copies. They also sound very well rehearsed, this is a group that is on the same page with the direction from Onofri.
Recorder player Erik Bosgraaf and Dmitry Sinkovsky play one of the pieces on this album in what I imagine is its original instrumentation, recorder and violin (TWV 40:111 in B-flat). Both performers do an admirable job, but the recording is worse off for its over-generous presentation of reverb and space. The sound of both instruments get swallowed in the Eszterháza palace concert hall. Coming back to the this album is a welcome improvement, when it comes to sound, although I do like the opposing timbre between instruments in the original. Listening to Onofri and friend Alessandro Tampieri perform together illustrates just how much of an echo effect Telemann has conjured in this piece; the thing I do appreciate about the setup in this recording is how both violins are not placed at the same depth from the microphones. This supports the notion of one voice leading while another is following.
The duo in B-minor TWV 40:126 presents a little bit of what I often think of is Italian flair in the opening vivace’s trills. It’s a character that’s become kind of a calling card of Onofri, who has specialized in Italian music in so much of his recordings. It’s got a welcome home here and it’s remarkable how these two musicians imitate each other’s sound so well.
Telemann was well-admired during his time as a composer of the highest caliber; his output is prodigious, although today’s market favors his instrumental music over his religious vocal music. I’d say he’s got his share of inventive themes which are the fodder of the duets on this album; they aren’t really complex pieces and so their mettle is really dependent upon a good theme with solid counterpoint. The real masterpieces on this album I feel are his concertos for four violins. On a sonic level they are not profound music, but when we dig beyond the surface of sound his solutions on how to structure and give body to this music deserves our admiration. The same gamut of range in all four voices opens possibilities for writing that we couldn’t get, say, in a string quartet. It's a limitation, perhaps, but one that guides some interesting solutions on the role each player has, contributing to the whole.
The C major concerto was recorded by MAK as well in their more recent series of Telemann discs but also by Musica Alta Ripa, a group that has released a number of strong recordings on the MDG Gold label. MAR does an admirable job and there’s a little better capture of articulation in their recording. The third (slow) movement of this piece is also a gem in its own right, allowing for a melody to emerge from the quartet of violins. I ultimately found Onofri’s reading of this movement far more engaging, noting the way Imaginarium highlight the shapes of the phrases. Telemann goes for broke in the last movement, going for what I’d try and describe as a full orchestral sound. I could imagine this arranged with blaring trumpets and maybe even kettledrums. Imaginarium doesn’t disappoint with their ability to play fast and with abandon. The ending of this concerto was the only real disappointment for me, it whimpers out in such a way that is unexpected. This nearly tongue-in-cheek treatment of the concerto’s end speaks to Telemann’s or the performer’s ability to keep the perpetual motion going forward with a repeat. The quiet ending seems to suggest they’re ready to dismount the carnival ride that is this piece. I’ll add that ending this way, with a visual support of the players in a live situation may have assuaged my surprise with the ending.
To summarize this album is difficult; its focus, as I opened, is on one composer’s ability to write affective music without employing his period’s dependence on the basso continuo. While I often find Telemann’s themes interesting, they are not all of the same quality, and as a whole, I’d say I find some of his music bland as a result. The pieces here are all played with great authority and with attention to details of dynamics, ornamentation, and the overall sound of the instruments sounding as a consort. The polish on these pieces is a high shine, indeed.
As a concept, an album with just violins is a welcome departure from the norm. For me the canonic duos have been fun pieces as a demonstration of counterpoint but it’s the concertos that are both the challenge and the reward when done well. While I may quibble about the ending of one piece, it’s every part Imaginarium’s right to surprise me, which they did. And while I am thirsty to get closer to the musicians, their recording engineers sought to keep me a just a few more steps away than what I might consider perfect. But the compromise there in allowing more air and reverb in the album and this solution is certainly preferable to some other recordings who push the performers even further afield. I can live with this and think you’ll most certainly enjoy it, as well.
