Telemann / Fontana / Castello: Recorder Chamber Music

Featuring

Clas Pehrsson
Bengt Ericson
Anders Öhrwall
Thomas Schuback
Maria Wieslander
Kari Ottesen

Tommie Andersson
Giovanni Battista Fontana
Francesco Barsanti
Georg Philipp Telemann
Jacob van Eyck
Dario Castello
Girolamo Frescobaldi

Did you know?

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Composer Biography

Jacob van Eyck, a musician at a church in Utrecht, had a duty to entertain people walking in the churchyard by playing his recorder.

Performer Biography

Clas Pehrsson, the recorder player on this album, was active as a violinist and violist before dedicating most of his time to the recorder in the mid-1960s.

Recording & Production

For Girolamo Frescobaldi's Toccata, the continuo part was transferred to the organ to emphasize the harpsichord's role as a solo instrument, allowing the recorder to perform with two keyboard instruments simultaneously.

Historical Context

The recorder virtually disappeared from classical music towards the end of the 18th century, eclipsed by the transverse flute, and only reappeared in the early 20th century due to renewed interest in early music.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Georg Philipp Telemann wrote his 12 methodic sonatas with a pedagogical intent, aiming to show how slow movements should be 'improved' through improvisation.

Compositional Technique

Giovanni Battista Fontana's Sonata prima, representing early 17th-century Venetian music, is played without breaks, unlike later High Baroque works with clearly defined movements.

Composer Biography

Francesco Barsanti, composer of the Sonata in C minor, moved to England after studying law in his native Italy and published a large quantity of music there.