Telemann Viola

A precursor in this field as in so many others, Telemann gave the viola its very first masterpieces, immediately establishing it as a solo instrument in its own right. Alongside Sabine Fehlandt and the musicians of the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Antoine Tamestit pays splendid tribute to this pioneering music, which blends melodic charm and contrapuntal rigour into an organic whole.

Lorenz Duftschmid is one of the most celebrated gambists of our time. Here he has selected a group that highlights some of the most original and beautiful compositions of Telemann’s compositions for the viola da gamba: a double concerto for recorder, viol, strings and continuo, two solos with basso continuo, a sonata for solo viol and two quartets.

Lorenz Duftschmid is one of the most celebrated gambists of our time. Here he has selected a group that highlights some of the most original and beautiful compositions of Telemann’s compositions for the viola da gamba: a double concerto for recorder, viol, strings and continuo, two solos with basso continuo, a sonata for solo viol and two quartets.

Telemann’s viola da gamba fantasies are significant works in the player’s repertoire, elegantly complementing the German repertoire, of which the most famous pieces are Johann Sebastian Bach’s sonatas for viola da gamba and obbligato harpsichord. According to the most current information, it appears that these Bach sonatas were composed in the late 1730s or early in the following decade, just a few years after Telemann’s fantasies.

Musicians have long known about the existence of Telemann's Fantasias for viola da gamba, but until very recently no surviving copies had ever been located. Fortunately a single print edition was identified by two musicologists in the Lower Saxony State Archive in Germany. In 2016 these important pieces were at last presented to the world in a modern edition which includes a complete facsimile of the original print. John Dornenburg has made numerous recordings for Centaur Records. After many years based in San Francisco, he is now based in the U.K.