About this Artist

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Editorial Reviews

This supremely satisfying recording is long, long overdue. For almost two centuries, the music of Georg Philipp Telemann suffered neglect for no good reason. During much of the 18th century, however, no German composer was more influential or celebrated. At one point, Telemann beat out his friend J. S. Bach for a distinguished position in Leipzig, only to turn it down for a more lucrative offer. His acclaim was justified -- as the early-20th-century writer Romain Rolland so aptly put it, Telemann let "currents of fresh air" into the German music of his day. Still, it's only recently that he has begun to receive his due again, and we mostly have the pioneering performances and recordings of Reinhard Goebel and Musica Antiqua Köln to thank for that. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Goebel and his ensemble rediscovered what the 18th century found so refreshing about Telemann. With this recording, Goebel serves up some of the most breezily delightful pieces in the composer's vast output: the string concertos and divertimentos, works that paved the way for the classical symphonies of Haydn and Mozart. Under Goebel's buoyant and passionate direction, Musica Antiqua Köln escapes the insipidness that many performers of Telemann are plagued by. Listen to the Concerto a sei in G major and hear immediately why J. S. Bach enthusiastically copied out its entire score. Then listen to the Concerto polonois in G major. After being lulled by its soothing opening movement and startled by the foot-tapping Allegro that follows, you'll appreciate what Telemann's audiences knew well: This is great music. David Kasunic, Barnes & Noble

Customer Reviews

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