Seasons > 2009-10 Season > Concerts >

Telemann et quelques Français

Thursday October 15, 2009, 8:00 pm

Solos, quartet, and concertos by Georg Philipp Telemann

The concerto allows not only for dense orchestral playing but also for the virtuosity of one or more soloists, and not only for timbral variety but also for contrasts of color and of tempo. The concerto originated in Italy, where it featured the violin, but the form spread like wildfire throughout Europe, with host countries adapting its exuberantly Italian flavor to their own national characteristics. The French masters, and Telemann, made a fascinating blend of such styles. The former wrote a good deal for the traverso, while the latter wrote concertos for all the instruments of his day, including the chalumeau, the forerunner of the clarinet.