Collegium Musicum 90, Simon Standage - Telemann: Music of the Nations (1996)

This is yet another addition to the Collegium Musicum 90's superb series of Telemann recordings. Their tone is suitably mellow, much more attuned to the baroque sensibility than any other period instruments orchestra I can think of. The works here are totally engaging. The chalumeau is a predecessor of the clarinet. It makes a woody, somewhat recorder-like sound, and, on this showing, has a limited amount of versatility. Telemann's writing for two of them at once features close harmonies and gentle melodies, elegantly balanced against the full orchestra. The soloists in these works appear to be excellent players. As for the viola concerto, it is one of the most beautiful works of the baroque and has appreared on recordings a number of times. I have excellent modern instrument versions of it conducted by Neville Marriner, on cassette, and by Richard Edlinger on Naxos. Standage's is just as good as those two. This is my first acquaintance with the piece on period instruments, and I feel that in substance it's not very different at all. Standage's viola sound is a little drier than on a modern instrument, but it is never rough and sounds quite elegant. The last movement is taken at a faster clip than I'm used to, but this goes over quite well on these instruments. As usual, Chandos's engineering is first rate. A very enjoyable disc.