Country : Germany Label : Harmonia Mundi Genres and styles : Baroque Year : 2022

Antoine Tamestit – Telemann: Viola Concertos

· by Frédéric Cardin

In this particularly frigid January 2022 comes a breath of warmth and sunshine with this album by the excellent Antoine Tamestit. There are not many works for viola from the Baroque period, but when there are, they are good! Bach’s 6th Brandenburg Concerto features two violas, a daring move at the time. Here’s another daring artist: Georg Philipp Telemann, probably the most prolific composer in history. A tireless jack-of-all-trades, brimming with curiosity and open-mindedness, the man with 6,000 opuses (at least) was one of the first to write true concertos for the viola, an instrument that was long seen as a necessary evil, useful for filling out a middle range between the piercing, heroic high notes of the violin and the rhythmic assurance and the comforting, reassuring roundness of the cello. Telemann made it a true soloist and highlighted the particularities of this unloved instrument. While the Italians snubbed it, Telemann, the German, gave it its first dazzling performances, in the form of concertos, a solo suite, and a trio sonata. Ironically, these works sound very ‘Italian’ in their fiery outbursts and frank, radiant melodies. The program is completed by two Overtures (suites of dances in the French style, with an ample and solemn initial movement) with a vivid, very colourful, and even humorous character: the Burlesque, which musically draws the characters of the commedia dell’arte, and La Changeante, with strongly contrasting movements and explosive dynamics. It’s a pleasure, brilliantly rendered by the soloist Antoine Tamestit, who at the same time vigorously conducts the Berlin Academy of Early Music. A disc that feels good as soon as it starts, and doesn’t stop until the last second. Yeah!

Latest 360 Content

Jeff Bridges – Slow Magic, 1977-1978

Jeff Bridges – Slow Magic, 1977-1978

Piknic Electronik | DJ Fuckoff Turns Up The Heat for Pep Rally

Piknic Electronik | DJ Fuckoff Turns Up The Heat for Pep Rally

Orford 2025 | Collectif9: folk that innovates and grooves

Orford 2025 | Collectif9: folk that innovates and grooves

Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | The next global star of Tuareg blues is born, and it is in Montreal

Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | The next global star of Tuareg blues is born, and it is in Montreal

Ruby Creek – Forget Me Not

Ruby Creek – Forget Me Not

Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out

Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out

Ross Lee Finney : Landscapes Remembered

Ross Lee Finney : Landscapes Remembered

Lanaudière Festival | The Sparkle of Strauss, Schumann, and Brahms in Joliette

Lanaudière Festival | The Sparkle of Strauss, Schumann, and Brahms in Joliette

Wet Leg – moisturizer

Wet Leg – moisturizer

Sister Ray – Believer

Sister Ray – Believer

Festival de Lanaudière | Franco Fagioli and the voice of bel canto

Festival de Lanaudière | Franco Fagioli and the voice of bel canto

Nuits d’Afrique | Manamba Kanté, An Undeniable Diva

Nuits d’Afrique | Manamba Kanté, An Undeniable Diva

Nuits d’Afrique | El Gato Negro, A Feline Like No Other

Nuits d’Afrique | El Gato Negro, A Feline Like No Other

Nights of Africa 2025 | A gnawa fusion reactor named Saïd Mesnaoui

Nights of Africa 2025 | A gnawa fusion reactor named Saïd Mesnaoui

Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | Sousou and Maher Cissoko: benevolence and complicity

Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | Sousou and Maher Cissoko: benevolence and complicity

Nuits d’Afrique | Las Karamba And Their Militant Salsa

Nuits d’Afrique | Las Karamba And Their Militant Salsa

Women shine at the Quebec City Opera Festival

Women shine at the Quebec City Opera Festival

Festival de Lanaudière | A Successful Choral Evening for Akamus

Festival de Lanaudière | A Successful Choral Evening for Akamus

Festival d’art vocal de Montréal | Training the Next Generation of Lyric Artists, From Voice to Stage Direction

Festival d’art vocal de Montréal | Training the Next Generation of Lyric Artists, From Voice to Stage Direction

Nuits d’Afrique | Soul Bang’s, The King of Improvisation

Nuits d’Afrique | Soul Bang’s, The King of Improvisation

Nuits d’Afrique | Tyrane Mondeny: The Rising Star Has Reached Her Destination

Nuits d’Afrique | Tyrane Mondeny: The Rising Star Has Reached Her Destination

Nuits d’Afrique | El Gato Negro, The Sound of Subtropical Pop

Nuits d’Afrique | El Gato Negro, The Sound of Subtropical Pop

Nuits d’Afrique | Glowzi, in Soundsystem Mode

Nuits d’Afrique | Glowzi, in Soundsystem Mode

Nuits d’Afrique | Mateus Vidal & Axé Experience, “Uma Festa” in The Rain

Nuits d’Afrique | Mateus Vidal & Axé Experience, “Uma Festa” in The Rain

Subscribe to our newsletter