Telemann: Ouvertures pittoresques

Featuring

Martin Gester
Arte dei Suonatori
Georg Philipp Telemann

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Composition History

Telemann's autobiographies from 1718, 1729, and 1740 reveal he became acquainted with French and Italian styles during his school years by listening to court ensembles.

Compositional Technique

Among Telemann's over one hundred surviving overture-suites, eight have specific programs, a number unmatched by his contemporaries.

Compositional Technique

The Ouverture in B flat major, TWV55:B5, nicknamed 'Völker-Ouvertüre' (The Nations) in modern times, characterizes 'typical' elements of certain regions or peoples through its dance movements.

Compositional Technique

Telemann's Ouverture, jointes d'une Suite tragi-comique in D major, TWV55:D22, depicts three real or perceived illnesses and their cures, including gout and hypochondria.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Telemann, a master of 'mixed taste' compositions, was praised by contemporaries for mastering almost every musical genre and the styles of all nations with ease.

Performer Biography

Arte dei Suonatori, the orchestra on this recording, was founded in Poznań, Poland, in 1993 by violinists Ewa and Aureliusz Goliński and specializes in historical performance practice.

Composer Biography

Telemann's interest in Polish folk music began during his time as Hofkapellmeister in Sorau (c. 1704-08), where he heard Polish folk musicians in taverns.