Telemann
The Virtuoso Godfather

Charivari Agréable

MusicWeb.uk.net, September 2006

At first sight, the albumís title may conjure up thoughts of Mario Puzo, Don Vito Corleone or Marlon Brando. Actually, in an oblique kind of way, such associations arenít entirely irrelevant. Not, of course, in terms of violence and extortion, but in the sense that for musicians too the ëfamilyí was a means both of defending oneself and a social structure within and around which careers had to be built. Just as their aristocratic patrons intermarried for reasons of property, social advancement and influence, so the musicians of the baroque era established chains of connection and indebtedness, of favours bestowed and owed, of quasi-dynastic marriages. Telemann was, indeed, godfather (in the Christian sense!) both to C.P.E. Bach and to the far less well-known Georg Philipp Kress. Each of them presumably owed their middle name to Telemann's presence as a godfather. Given Telemannís increasing status, his was an important voice to have on oneís side; he could make recommendations for important posts and, more often than not, be listened to. The German-speaking world of court and church was full of actual musical families ñ the Grauns, the Schildts, the Gebels, the Grafs etc. etc. The Bachs were merely the most famous of many such families. To the advantages accruing from such a ënaturalí network of blood relationships, one might usefully add some others inherent in having a well-established composer act as godfather to oneís children. Then, of course, there was marriage too, another way of extending the networks of possible influence and benefit ñ the first marriage of Telemann himself was to Amalie, daughter of Daniel Eberlin, an important musical figure at the court of Eisenach; Buxtehude married the daughter of Franz Tunder, his predecessor as organist and Werkmeister at the Marienkirche in Lübeck. The implications of such matters are touched upon by the contents of this very well programmed CD and by the first of two interesting essays which Kah-Ming Ng contributes to its booklet. It is instructive to be reminded of the complex networks of ëfamilyí which played a part in the ësuccessí of any composer of this period.

But this is far more than just a lesson ñ however useful and interesting ñ in the sociology of composition in the German baroque. It is also a thoroughly enjoyable CD of intimate and subtle chamber music. Having considered the noun in the CDís title, it is perhaps proper to glance, at least briefly, at the adjective which qualifies it ñ "virtuoso". This isnít really music which demands ostentatious technical brilliance from its performers or, indeed, allows those performers to indulge in dazzling display. But most of it needs ñ and this is more than a mere truism ñ to be played really well if there is to be no risk of it sounding a little humdrum. Here the music is played with character and nuance, with both panache and grace, so that it is utterly alive and as remote from the humdrum as it very well might be. In that sense, this is virtuosity.

Kah-Ming Ng is both a scholar and a high-quality performer; he draws some lovely sounds from his 1997 copy (by Andrew Garlick) of a Ruckers instrument of 1638. Rachel Moss is a fluent exponent of the baroque flute (with only a very occasional sudden bulge of sound which can be distracting) and Susanne Heinrich is every bit as accomplished ñ variously playing 5, 6 and 7 stringed viols ñ as those who have heard previous recordings by Charivari Agréable will expect; the interplay between Heinrich and the bass viol of Reiko Ichise is a constant delight.

Charivari Agréable have been intelligently flexible in their treatment of the originals. Thus, in Bachís Arioso, the use of a viol rather than a violin works very well ñ given what Kah-Ming Ng reasonably describes as its "unattractively low violin part"; it is sensible and effective, too, that the bassoon part in the first of the Telemann quartets should be given to a bass viol. Such decisions work as part of a very sure-footed sense of musical language and idiom.

The Telemann quartets contain many exquisite movements ñ such as the Largo of TWV 43:C2, the Soave of TWV 43:G12 and the closing Vivace of TWV 43:G10; the Sonata for unaccompanied gamba does make considerable technical demands on the performer, though it is of its musical cogency and interest that one is made most aware in this fine performance by Susanne Heinrich. C. P. E. Bach is his idiosyncratic self in the Fantasia sopra Jesu meines Lebens Leben and the Arioso per il cembalo is a beautiful piece. By the side of two such masters, the music of Kress makes less of an impression, though he has his moments ñ I particularly liked the Vivace movement which opens the second of his trios here.

This clearly recorded disc offers a greater variety of texture and instrumental combination than might at first appear. Its well-planned programme is both instructive and full of delights.

Glyn Pursglove

Classic FM Magazine, October 2006
***** out of 5

Beautifully recorded and consummately played, this stunning collection of chamber music by Kress, Telemann and CPE Bach, is one of my discs of 2006.

Julian Haylock

Gramophone, October 2006 - Awards issue

Matching skills to works makes Charivari Agréable so agreeable

As ever, Charivari Agréable demonstrate their determined ingenuity in finding and adapting music based around their core line-up of viol and continuo; all the pieces here feature either one or two viols, their mellow bass sonorities offset by a flute, but only half include viol in their original designated scoring. One hardly imagines that Telemann would have minded this expediency, however, while for listeners today such willingness to renew and rethink repertoire is one of the constant pleasures of Baroque music.

Here we have three typically delightful quartet sonatas and a sonata for solo viola da gamba by Telemann alongside works by two of his godsons: CPE Bach, represented by a dapperly turned harpsichord "Arioso" with lightweight gamba accompaniment, and a distinctly JS-like chorale fantasy; and Georg Philipp Kress, a new name to most no doubt, but the composer here of two pleasant if underwhelming trio sonatas.

Charivari Agréable offer tasteful and well behaved performances whose gentle sound contrasts interestingly with the more firmly chiselled and urgent readings of two of the Telemann quartets released last year (with violins instead of viols) by Musica Antiqua Köln (Archiv, 11/05). It is a comparison that leaves, say, the first movement of G12 sounding sedate, if not downright dawdling, in Charivari's hands, but some listeners may well appreciate the latter's preference for grace over high energy. Even so, a little more focus to the balance would have been welcome, and Rachel Moss's flute-playing needs to find a touch more overall refinement. No niggles about Susanne Heinrich's account of the Telemann solo sonata though, which in its vigorous musicality is first-rate.

Lindsay Kemp

BBC Music Magazine, October 2006
Performance **** out of 5, Sound ***** out of 5

Charivari Agréable presents here an unusual programme in which Telemann's music is interspersed by that two of his godsons. Far and away the more famous of them is Bach's second musically talented son, Carl Philipp Emanuel, who followed in his godfather's footsteps as Hamburg's Director musices. The other, Georg Philipp Kress, is now but the faintest of shadows and indeed may never have been otherwise. Charivari Agréable convey the fragile, never more than skin-deep charm of his Flute Trios with lightly applied articulation and an appropriate espirit de salon. These virtues, along with a marked elegance of phrasing, are features which define the performing style of this ensemble.

There is a pleasing energy in this playing which is also supple, fluent and idiomatic. The nfast movements of Telemann's two fine G major Quartets for flute, two viole di gamba and harpsichord, more effective in this scoring than in Telemann's alternative suggestion for flute and two violins, offer persuasive examples of what I mean.

Nicholas Anderson  

ClassicalSource.com, October 2006

Following Friday's evening 'Introduction' and opening concerts, this was the first full day of the South Bank Centre's Early Music Weekend - a feast of the Baroque, in which each of the concerts presented a well-considered thesis.

Opening proceedings, in "The Front Room at the QEH" (the foyer!), the superb chamber group Charivari Agréable juxtaposed trio sonatas by Telemann with works by musicians from the younger generation. Georg Philipp Kress was Telemann's godson, and his Trio showed the elder composer's influence in its well-crafted counterpoint and light melodic touch. The Fantasia on the chorale theme 'Jesu meines Lebens Leben' is of uncertain attribution; if by C.P.E. Bach, it is an exercise in the archaic style of his father, with anguished contrapuntal figuration surrounding the stately appearance of the chorale theme in the flute. Finer by far were the sonatas by Telemann, sensitively played by musicians enjoying every melodic felicity and expressive chromatic twist.

Rob Witts  

AllMusicGuide.com, October 2006

The seemingly nonsensical photo on the cover of this CD, showing a bass viol supporting a tipping boulder, is matched by the equally puzzling title The Virtuoso Godfather. In fact each feature of the package corresponds to what's inside. The English historical-instrument ensemble Charivari Agréable, based at Oxford University, has a useful view of Telemann's music: in the words of musical director, keyboard player, and annotator Kah-Ming Ng, Telemann generally "eschewed the overt musical acrobatics redolent of the Vivaldian concerto, preferring to experiment with colours, sonorities, and textures." Thus, the "virtuoso" aspect of his music has more to do with instrumental balance and with the shaping of individual phrases than with sheer speed. The "godfather" part is simpler: Telemann served as godfather to the two younger composers featured, Georg Philipp Kress and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.

Performances of Telemann are getting better and better, and as they do the old image of the composer as a dull nine-to-five tunesmith is receding into the past. These by Charivari Agréable (the words have the sense of "agreeable tumult") must be among the best yet. Sample any of the three Telemann quartets (he called them variously concerti or sonate à 4) for a taste of how they sculpt every detail of the music, with each instrument being given room to execute an elegant ornament, while the players linger lovingly on unusual combinations of musical lines. Baroque flutist Rachel Moss is intonationally flawless in picking up the attacks of the other players and matching her tone to theirs, and in general the level of cooperation among the players is extraordinary, both in the Telemann quartets and in the smaller groupings (or solos) in the works by the other composers. Hear also the unusual quinton or sopranino viol of artistic director Susanne Heinrich in the Fantasia sopra Jesu meines Lebens Leben of C.P.E. Bach. Its texture is striking, and this brings us to the only real complaint with this album. Ng points out rightly that substitution of instruments was common enough during this era, but one wishes he hadn't chosen to exercise the option in the first work on the disc, Telemann's Concerto for transverse flute, viola da gamba, bassoon, and harpsichord, TWV 43: C2, where a second gamba takes the place of the bassoon. After having been told, and having had it demonstrated how carefully Telemann treated colouristic effects, one wants to hear a Baroque bassoon here. Nevertheless, the recording quality is very high, with a strong sense of the performers' immediate presence. And Ng's notes are lengthy and complex, with plenty of context involving Telemann's early career and his relationship with J.S. Bach before he gets to the music heard here and to the circumstances under which Telemann became godfather to the other two composers. They bring the era alive in modern terms for those who read them closely -- they include the phrases "head-hunted" and "retail therapy," among other contemporary concepts. A marvellous performance throughout, as far as can be imagined from the dry-as-dust Telemann recordings that crowded shelves for so many years.

James Manheim

Goldberg Magazine, January 2007 - Issue 43, ****

" A Lully fame has won, Corelli may be praised. But Telemann above all praise is raised." The echoes of this quotation by the prominent 18th century composer and theorist John Mattheson loom today with their weight of responsibility over any musician performing the music of this "superstar composer". It is therefore a great pleasure to encounter a recording that does justice to his legacy. As the name of the CD hints, Charivari Agréable presents us with performances of works not only by Telemann, but also by his godsons, Georg Phillip Kress and C.P.E. Bach. The CD opens with a Grave, the first movement of Telemann's Concerto á Flauto traverso, Viola di gamba, Fagotto e Cembalo, TWV 43:C2. Having a slow movement open a musical program is generally risky, but in this instance, the sensuality of sound and luscious phrasing pull the listener into the recording. The Largo third movement confirms the ensemble's remarkable musical sensibilities. However, it is not only the slow movements where the ensemble excels. Both the vivace movements of Telemann's Sonata á 4 for flute, two violas da gamba, and harpsichord, TWV 43:G10 display a noteworthy level of virtuosity, but the ensemble does not lose sight of their established sense of phrasing. The mention of two works by C.P.E. Bach, Fantasia sopra Jesu meines Lebens Leben and Arioso per il cembalo e violino, also cannot be omitted, as they beautifully complement the creative program selected by this talented group.

Zak Ozmo