Epoca

The quadri or quartets of Georg Philipp Telemann were among the first works to use that name and have sometimes been proposed as ancestors of the string quartet. They may or may not be that, but they're among Telemann's most progressive works, exploiting instrumental contrasts and pairing them with harmonic experiments. Sample the Quadro in E major for two transverse flutes and two cellos, TWV 43:E1, which could almost be early Haydn. The weakening role of the basso continuo in later Telemann chamber music like that on this album is shown by the fact that the quadro or trio designated by the work title sometimes includes the continuo and sometimes does not…

The German chamber ensemble Epoca Barocca’s seventh recording on the CPO label is a turn in a new direction, after six repertoire albums devoted to German composers, including Telemann, Hasse, Heinichen, Schaffrath, and Fasch, and a wonderful disc devoted to the underrated Giovanni Benedetto Platti, an Italian who spent most of his professional life in Würzburg. On their newest venture, simply titled Italian Love Cantatas , they team up with Italian soprano Silvia Vajente to present an attractive sampling of Italian chamber cantatas, mostly with obbligato instruments. Some of the music on this album, especially the last movement of the Vivaldi and the Neapolitan works by Mancini and Scarlatti, is pleasant but ordinary. However, the range of color, affect, and emotion achieved by Vajente and the ensemble adds so much depth and beauty that the effect is Baroque chamber music at its most intimate and satisfying.