Telemann: Sonata TWV 41:f1 in F minor for bassoon (or recorder) & b.c. (Der getreue Music-Meister No. 36)

Of all the instruments that were being developed at the beginning of the 18th century, the role of the bassoon in music of that time is still insufficiently recognised. Telemann and his German contemporaries composed true solo passages for the instrument and also used it in combination with the violin, the flute, the oboe and the harpsichord. Musicians have now been performing on ‘original instruments’ for fifty years; during this time they have refashioned their techniques by combining what they have learnt from period sources with modern instrumental usage. For the oboe and bassoon, however, the two fundamental issues of historical reeds and fingerings have not yet been fully explored: modern techniques of reed-making have been adapted to historical instruments primarily for reasons of convenience. If, however, we take our lead from historical texts, from depictions of the instruments in contemporary art and from the instruments themselves that have survived, the sound that we then obtain is astonishingly different: it has more freedom and more timbre and the instrument’s production of this sound is much facilitated. This flexibility of the reed can disconcert a player who is used to a modern instrument; he simply has to become accustomed to it! The fingerings that we have used for this recording have been taken from fingering tables dating from the first half of the 18th century. Our tuning system is naturally linked to the ‘unequal’ tunings used by keyboards of the time. The highest notes in the instruments’ ranges require much more control from the player — they are difficult to produce cleanly — to the great benefit of the music’s virtuosity, brilliance and homogeneity. We have already demonstrated that these techniques increase the colours and expressive potential of even earlier forms of the oboe and bassoon in our recordings; in this recording we employ them for the first time on the instruments as they were known in the Baroque era.

Telemann’s countless recorder sonatas belong to every player’s standard repertoire and even the Bach family archive has preserved his scores. “Schegget’s assured, skilful playing brings these delightful works admirably to life.” Fanfare

This CD includes Telemann’s Sonatas in F minor and E minor for bassoon, as well as his Sonata in E minor for oboe and Partita No.4 in G minor. Telemann never became a professional virtuoso, but studied various instruments. All his music displays his intimate knowledge of the instruments and includes pieces for rare instruments and combinations that are unique in the history of music.

The bassoon comes out of the closet! The Galant Bassoon is a remarkable journey with three musicians of international acclaim as they rescue this reserved member of the woodwind section and place it, deservedly, in the spotlight. Virtuoso bassoonist from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Matthew Wilkie, showcases the colour and brilliance of his instrument in a sparkling and sophisticated collaboration with harpsichordist Neal Peres Da Costa and double bassist Kees Boersma.

A generous selection of six chamber pieces by JS Bach, Telemann and CPE Bach – with their melodic exuberance, dance-like rhythms, consoling adagios and virtuosic flights of display – provide the perfect vehicle for the imagination and flair of these players.

For 20 years, Matthew Wilkie has been Principal Bassoon of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, frequently performing as soloist with them. Neal Peres Da Costa is recognised as an expert in early music performance while Kees Boersma is Principal Bass of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

The Galant Bassoon references the galant style, a change from much of the complexity and ornamentation of the Baroque to a simpler, more classical approach epitomised by Telemann, C.P.E. Bach and others in their compositions and by much of the music in this recital.

Period instrument performances.

Tripla Concordia was established in 1991, and takes its name from a collection of music by Matthew Locke and colleagues published in 1677. They specialise in music from the 16th and 17th centuries, and work with artists such as Fabio Biondi and Alfredo Bernadini.

Sergio Ciomei (harpsichord) collaborated with Cecilia Bartoli on her Opera Proibita recording, preparing and editing the repertoire.

Recording made in 2000.

Few composers were quite as industrious as Telemann. Apart from producing a vast amount of music of the highest quality in all genres, he set up a publishing company in Hamburg in 1728 where his collection The Faithful Music Master was published. This included sonatas, arias, duos and solos. Arias from operas were reduced in scoring to allow domestic performance, and texts set in foreign languages were translated into German so the wider public could enjoy them.

Some of the works on this disc appeared in his fortnightly publication. Scoring was something that Telemann revelled in, and sometimes the same work would appear in different guises. In addition, in an early example of how to boost circulation, he published individual movements over the course of several issues of The Faithful Music Master, thereby allowing the subscriber to collect the complete work.

Telemann was a musical magpie. Collecting styles and influences from France and Italy, he skilfully assimilated them into what would become a German style, which had a considerable influence upon J.S. Bach.

The music on this disc is wonderfully crafted, tuneful, beautifully scored, and the work of a master at the height of his considerable powers.