Telemann: Trio TWV 42:B4 in B flat major for recorder, harpsichord & b.c. (Trio 8 (No. 16) from Essercizii Musici)

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.