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Telemann: Complete Violin Concertos, Vol. 5 / Wallfisch, The Wallfisch Band
CPO

Telemann: Complete Violin Concertos, Vol. 5 / Wallfisch, The Wallfisch Band

$18.99

Details

Composer
TELEMANN, GEORG PHILIPP
Artist
Wallfisch Band, Wallfisch
Format
CD
Label
CPO
Released
Nov 13, 2012
Catalog #
777550-2
UPC
761203755028

About



TELEMANN Violin Concertos: in G, TWV 51:G5; in Bb TWV 51:B2; in F, TWV 51:F3; in A, TWV 51:A3; in f#, TWV 51:fis1. Double Violin Concerto in e, TWV 52:e4. Concerto in A for 4 Violins, TWV 54:A1 • Elizabeth Wallfisch (vn, cond); The Wallfisch Band • CPO 777 550 (58:24)


The notes to Volume 5 of violinist and conductor Elizabeth Wallfisch’s collection of “Complete Violin Concertos” by Georg Philipp Telemann explain that all these works come from an early period in the composer’s production, in which he tried to break free from the Italian influence (thus, perhaps, the unvarying four-movement pattern of these works). Still, Vivaldi’s energy, channeled by typical Italian violin figuration, reappears in the Molto allegro of the Concerto in G Major, TWV 51:G5. Arcangelo Corelli’s sequences appear in the finale of that concerto, but the passages bounce with a helium-like buoyancy worlds removed from Corelli’s more stately elegance. The Concerto in Bb-Major, TWV 51:B2, begins with a slow movement that integrates the solo into the ensemble in a way that’s more Corellian than Vivaldian—but seems essentially Telemann’s own invention. The Concerto in F Major, TWV 51:F3, drapes a flowing violin solo over a bustling near-ostinato motive that maintains a lively demeanor throughout the movement. As the ensuing Allegro shows, Telemann’s idea of a concerto soloist, especially in the fast movements (and even in the slow ones) differs markedly from that of Vivaldi and Bach, allowing the solos to emerge from the texture as Corelli did in his Concerti grossi, op. 6, or Giuseppe Torelli did even in his solo concertos. That’s not to say that the works seem soporific from the violinistic point of view: The concerto’s finale, with its brusque, ruddy energy, never allows a listener’s attention to wander, even if the violinist isn’t spinning technical fantasies in the manner of Pietro Locatelli or Jean-Marie Leclair. In the Concerto in A Major, TWV 51: A3, Wallfisch and her ensemble effectively employ dynamic contrasts to create a bracing atmosphere. Here, as elsewhere, Wallfisch rises to a high soloistic profile when the music demands it—it’s clear from passages like these that she sinks the individual, when she does, for musical reasons rather than for any natural reticence or idea of soloistic integration. She and the ensemble play the chords in the brief, almost purely transitional, Adagio with attention-garnering freshness. In the finale, she once again strikes a more virtuosic attitude. The Concerto in F# Minor may be cast in an unusual key, but it’s hardly crabbed; and Wallfisch makes the double-stops of its slow movement sound at once mellifluous and commanding. Still, she’s able to lower her profile in the contrapuntal finale.


The collection includes two concertos for multiple soloists. The first of these, the Concerto in E Minor for Two Violins, TWV 52:E4, blends the soloists seamlessly in the first movement. In this work, violinist Evan Few joins Wallfisch. They don’t engage in the second movement in simple parallel motion, as Torelli might lead them in a similarly crafted work; but they do alternate passages in which they answer each other with others in which they run side-by-side. In the Concerto for Four Violins in A Major, TWV 54:A1, violinists Gabrielle Wunsch and Susan Carpenter Jacobs join Wallfisch. If, as Wolfgang Hirschmann’s notes point out, the textures hardly suggest a concerto for four soloists (with two of them melded into the orchestral texture), the resulting sonorities still seem rich and thick in this performance.


If every one of these concertos might strike listeners as a candidate for the standard repertoire, not one of them has yet entered it. Perhaps this release may start the process of admission. Like the earlier volumes in the series, this fifth volume deserves a heartfelt commendation.


FANFARE: Robert Maxham

Tracklist 28 tracks

  1. 1 I. Andante 01:48
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Andante
    Duration
    01:48
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  2. 2 II. Molto Allegro 01:53
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Molto Allegro
    Duration
    01:53
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  3. 3 III. Grave 01:30
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Grave
    Duration
    01:30
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  4. 4 IV. Vivace 02:08
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Vivace
    Duration
    02:08
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  5. 5 I. Adagio 02:13
    Track
    5
    Title
    I. Adagio
    Duration
    02:13
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  6. 6 II. Allegro 01:44
    Track
    6
    Title
    II. Allegro
    Duration
    01:44
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  7. 7 III. Grave 00:57
    Track
    7
    Title
    III. Grave
    Duration
    00:57
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  8. 8 IV. Allegro 02:17
    Track
    8
    Title
    IV. Allegro
    Duration
    02:17
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  9. 9 I. Adagio 02:20
    Track
    9
    Title
    I. Adagio
    Duration
    02:20
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  10. 10 II. Allegro 02:05
    Track
    10
    Title
    II. Allegro
    Duration
    02:05
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  11. 11 III. Adagio 01:10
    Track
    11
    Title
    III. Adagio
    Duration
    01:10
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  12. 12 IV. — 02:18
    Track
    12
    Title
    IV. —
    Duration
    02:18
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  13. 13 I. Grave 01:40
    Track
    13
    Title
    I. Grave
    Duration
    01:40
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  14. 14 II. Vivace 03:28
    Track
    14
    Title
    II. Vivace
    Duration
    03:28
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  15. 15 III. Adagio 00:45
    Track
    15
    Title
    III. Adagio
    Duration
    00:45
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  16. 16 IV. Allegro 03:55
    Track
    16
    Title
    IV. Allegro
    Duration
    03:55
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  17. 17 I. Adagio 02:28
    Track
    17
    Title
    I. Adagio
    Duration
    02:28
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  18. 18 II. Allegro 02:48
    Track
    18
    Title
    II. Allegro
    Duration
    02:48
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  19. 19 III. Adagio 01:48
    Track
    19
    Title
    III. Adagio
    Duration
    01:48
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  20. 20 IV. Allegro 01:52
    Track
    20
    Title
    IV. Allegro
    Duration
    01:52
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Performer
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  21. 21 I. Andante 03:15
    Track
    21
    Title
    I. Andante
    Duration
    03:15
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  22. 22 II. Allegro 01:41
    Track
    22
    Title
    II. Allegro
    Duration
    01:41
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  23. 23 III. Adagio 01:58
    Track
    23
    Title
    III. Adagio
    Duration
    01:58
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  24. 24 IV. Vivace 02:23
    Track
    24
    Title
    IV. Vivace
    Duration
    02:23
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  25. 25 I. Affettuoso 01:54
    Track
    25
    Title
    I. Affettuoso
    Duration
    01:54
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  26. 26 II. Allegro 02:29
    Track
    26
    Title
    II. Allegro
    Duration
    02:29
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  27. 27 III. Adagio 00:52
    Track
    27
    Title
    III. Adagio
    Duration
    00:52
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch
  28. 28 IV. Allegro 02:30
    Track
    28
    Title
    IV. Allegro
    Duration
    02:30
    Composer
    Georg Philipp Telemann
    Ensemble
    The Wallfisch Band
    Conductor
    Elizabeth Wallfisch