Otto Sauter

This complete recording of the trumpet concertos of German High Baroque composer Johann Melchior Molter actually includes the concertos in which the trumpet plays any role at all, and this is its biggest strength. Sample some of the concertos on the second CD, such as the Sonata Grossa for three trumpets, two oboes, timpani, strings, and continuo, or either of the works designated as a sinfonia concertante – the trumpet is not the first work one would associate with that elegant French form and its genteel conversations among a group of solo instruments, but Molter's command of instrumental textures is most unusual for his era.

Born in 1681, Georg Philip Telemann would inevitably suffer from comparisons with one of the towering figures of western Classical music, born just four years later: Johann Sebastian Bach. Although after his death Telemann may have been constantly cast into the Leipzig composers shadow, during his lifetime he was exalted as Bachs equal and was considered one of the greatest German composers of the early 18th century. Certainly, the size of his output compares very favourably with Bachs; Telemann was also a highly productive composer, writing over 3,000 works during his lifetime (although not all have survived). Despite his popularity falling away in the 19th century, today Telemann is almost as highly regarded as he was in his own lifetime ¬ the large number of new recordings on this edition pays tribute to the flurry of interest that has grown around the composer Telemann over the past 30 years.

Visions and illusions were the inspiration for Enjott Schneider’s surreal sound images: the current CD recording collects two double concertos by the Munich composer, both of which use unconventional combinations of solo instruments to make poetic contradictions audible. In Isolde & Tristan (2014), Erhu virtuoso Jiemin Yan, as a fairy tale princess, and cellist Wen-Sinn Yang, as her hero and counterpart Richard Wagner, interact in a far Eastern context. The fluid Asian timbre of the traditional Chinese instrument merges with the chromaticism of Late-Romantic Western music; original quotations from Wagner meet slow waltzes and Irish diatonic melodies. Dreamdancers (2016) explores the surreal worlds of the night. Sergei Nakariakov on Flugelhorn and Otto Sauter on Piccolo Trumpet play together in a collage-like manner characterised by leaps in time and superimposed tempos. They combine spectacular staccato technique with dizzying high notes to create a weightless dream, full of feeling and beyond all reason.

Brilliant Classics' Telemann Edition is a cube-shaped, flip-top box set of 29 CDs, drawn from the label's extensive back list. Georg Philipp Telemann was a major figure of the Baroque era and one of the most prolific composers of that or any age; his massive output encompassed Tafelmusik (music for the table), concertos, orchestral suites, chamber works, keyboard pieces, oratorios, operas, and cantatas. This collection is comprehensive in its coverage, providing an in-depth appreciation of Telemann's highly varied and innovative work, and the performances by a long roster of European musicians show a fine sense for period practices. To fit so many discs into this package, they are protected by thin cardboard sleeves, and the thin booklet that accompanies them gives a brief explanation of Telemann's career and reputation over the succeeding centuries. However, the sound quality is only slightly variable and quite pleasant throughout, and the package as a whole is likely to satisfy any Telemann fan.