COMPOSERS: Telemann
LABELS: Alpha Classics
ALBUM TITLE: Telemann
WORKS: 12 Fantasias for Solo Flute
PERFORMER: François Lazarevitch (flute)
CATALOGUE NO: ALPHA 267
In the 1730s Telemann published four sets of fantasias for solo instruments: 12 fantasias for flute, 36 for harpsichord, 12 for violin and another dozen for viola da gamba. Common to all these sets is the uniformly high quality of the music, while Telemann’s practical familiarity with all the instruments concerned gives rise to idiomatic writing.
As so often with Telemann the style of the transverse flute Fantasias is eclectic, presenting the listener with that rewarding blend of French and Italian manners which Quantz dubbed the ‘mixed’ or German style. François Lazarevitch is a persuasive advocate for music which is both original and generously charged with melodic appeal. He explores Telemann’s expressive freedom with imaginative flair and a feeling for rhetorical declamation. Dance rhythms represented mainly in concluding movements are treated playfully while throughout Lazarevitch’s approach is thoughtful, unhurried and effectively punctuated. Recorded sound is clear and resonant.
Nicholas Anderson