Kuijken+accent

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.

Jean-François Madeuf and Pierre-Yves Madeuf are two of the leading exponents of the historically informed performance practice as applied to wind instruments. On natural horn or natural trumpet they can be found in many of Europe’s main early music ensembles and orchestras. On this new Accent CD, they team up with Sigiswald Kuijken’s exquisite La Petite Bande to perform a set of Georg Philipp Telemann concertos as they have never been heard before on record: using natural trumpets and horns, and bringing the pieces back to their original chamber music context.

Amongst several delightful examples of mid- and late-baroque German solo cantatas included here, one stands out as a little masterpiece. It's a lamentation by Johann Christoph Bach, the leading composer of the Bach dynasty before Johann Sebastian. I cannot imagine any listener to be capable of hearing this music without in some way being affected by its poignancy.

Germany's Accent label has released a series of twin-CD sets featuring the Baroque flute recordings made by Barthold Kuijken, sometimes (as here) accompanied by his cello-playing brother Wieland. The originals date back to the late '70s, when Kuijken was one of the Dutch specialists who brought historical performance out of the too-precious phase, and they still sound good. This release pairs a 1979 set of French flute sonatas from the middle eighteenth century with a 1991 group of Italian works of the same period. The two discs, both recorded in Belgian churches, don't have exactly the same ambiance, but the pairing is an intelligent one, making this a good pick from among the various discs available.

What is it that makes this 1992 recording of François Couperin's Les Nations by the Kuijken Ensemble so special? In a word, brotherhood. You see, the Kuijken Ensemble has the brothers Barthold, Sigiswald, and Wieland on transverse flute, violin, and viola da gamba and they play together with a combination of affection, aggression, appreciation, and wholehearted love that makes the ensemble like no other. Each brother a master of his instrument, and they understand Baroque music with a combination of intellect, emotion, and musicality that few other period instrument players can match.

Started in 2001 Sigiswald Kuijken cycle on Accent has made a very promising start. As one might expect these performances have a subtle sense of rhythmic hierarchy, with animated dance metres and well shaped continuo lines. The performances are highly convincing: the vocal soloists bring great energy to their lines, adding effective ornamentation in the choruses and projecting a distinctive character for each aria. These performances illuminate Bach’s cantatas with persuasive musicianship and also a critical appraisal of current performing styles. As a result, they are some of the finest examples of what historically informed performers can achieve.

The 18th century was a time when deportment and noble behavior were essential for people of quality. Dance formed a major part of all social ceremonies and theatrical presentations. Nowhere was dancing more highly regarded than in France, where ballets de cour assumed great importance, and the Lullian tragedie en musique had its counterpart in the ballet en action of the opera-ballet. The Fantaisie (1729) and Plaisirs champetres (1734) of Jean-Fiery Rebel, reflecting the differing personalities of their prima ballerinas Camargo and Salle, have been called choreographic symphonies.