G. P. Telemann Musique de Table • Tafelmusik • Banquet Music N. Harnoncourt

“…The precision of ensemble, the crisp articulation and the clarity of texture which Goebel achieves, not perhaps without considerable effort, are admirable features of the Archiv Produktion set and, for sheer efficiency and dependability in such matters, these artists have few rivals…Telemann published his Musique de table in Hamburg in 1733. Each of its three parts or ''Productions'', as he called them, is laid out identically, embracing the principal orchestral and instrumental forms of the late-baroque: French overture and dance suite, quartet, concerto, trio solo sonata and a little orchestral coda, so to speak, which Telemann simply and practically called ''Conclusion''.

This exciting Baroque instrumental group using period instruments performs with passion and integrity music primarily from Telemann's "Essercitzii Musici" and "Tafelmusik."

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Baroque instrumental music often took the form of dance suites, which allowed considerable flexibility in the arrangement of minuets, sarabandes, gavottes, bourrées, chaconnes, allemandes, and courantes, mixed with character pieces and even scenic tableaux in the much larger presentations of court ballets. In Terpsichore: Apothéose de la Danse baroque, a splendid 2018 AliaVox release by Jordi Savall and Le Concert des Nations, works by Jean-Féry Rebel and Georg Philipp Telemann are compared side-by-side to indicate the commonality of practices at the time, as well as the variety of dance music in the hands of two different masters.

Although later generations would judge otherwise, Georg Philipp Telemann was considered the most important German composer of the first half of the 18th century in the eyes of his contemporaries. After his appointment as musical director of the 5 most important churches in Hamburg, Telemann managed to establish his fame as a composer both nationally and internationally. An example of his influence is, for example, Telemann's so-called Musique de table from 1733, consisting of various orchestral and chamber music works. Handel was one of the subscribers for this series, and so it came about that a theme from the Suite in D by Telemann eventually ended up in the organ concert op. 7, No. 4 of Handel. This suite is played together with another suite and a concerto in a performance by The English Concert conducted by Trevor Pinnock.

For his latest ATMA Classique recording, horn player Louis-Philippe Marsolais has chosen a selection of chamber music by Clara and Robert Schumann composed for various instruments, some of which have been transcribed for horn. He is joined by pianists Philip Chiu and David Jalbert, and cellists Stéphane Tétreault and Cameron Crozman.

Born into a long line of musicians, some of whom officiated at the court of Versailles, Boëly was first taught from the age of five by his father, a countertenor at the Sainte-Chapelle who was also a composer, teacher and author of a treatise on harmony influenced by Rameau. In 1796, he entered the Paris Conservatoire to study under Guérillot (violin) and Ladurner (piano), who introduced him to Bach, Haydn and Clementi. His formal education was of short duration, however, since he was forced to leave the conservatory in 1800. From then on, he taught himself, reading the old masters to cultivate his personal tastes and develop his style, which was out of sync with that of the audiences of his time who preferred patriotic or Italian works to his overly classicist offerings.

Give each instrument what suits it best, thus is the player content and you well entertained.’ In these pieces, unenticingly called ‘Methodical Sonatas’, Telemann is as good as his word. These are delightful works, full of humour, very skilfully written and never dull. There are two sets of six sonatas each. All are played on a Baroque flute, though certain keys suggest a violin, with fluency and impeccable taste by Barthold Kuijken. His tone is alluring and his ornamentation, mainly based on Telemann’s own suggestions, faultlessly executed. A programme for performers and listeners alike. Outstanding.

In 2003, six former students from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris founded the ‘Capriccioso’ Ensemble. The group varies in number according to the repertory, but is generally based on the work of six instrumentalists, including violin, viola, cello, clarinet, horn and piano, who recently performed Krzysztof Penderecki’s Sextet.