Muriel Rochat Rienth - Georg Philipp Telemann: 12 Fantasías, TWV 40: 2-13 (2018)

For her first solo album, recorder player Muriel Rochat-Rienth has chosen to record the complete fantasias by Georg Philipp Telemann.

Telemann was an extraordinarily productive musician with an oeuvre of over 3,600 works which cover all genres, including opera. He was one of the few artists of his era who was well respected during his lifetime, and he was able to live comfortably from his work as a musician. He was entirely self-taught, playing a variety of instruments, including the recorder, the violin, and the harpsichord. He was also a great proponent of the recorder, which is why he (along with Handel) is often described as the greatest recorder composer. His work for the 'flauto dolce' includes solo concerts, suites, sonatas, trio sonatas, as well as extended recorder parts in oratorios, passions, and cantatas. Of special significance are the "12 Fantasias for Solo Flute", published in Hamburg in 1.733, which, along with the "36 Fantasias for Harpsichord", the "12 Fantasias for Solo Violin" (1.753), and the "12 Fantasias for Viola da Gamba" (1.735), complement Telemann's oeuvre for solo instruments without bass accompaniment. The "12 Fantasias" recorded on this CD are based on a transposition for treble recorder (raised by a third) which is stored in the library of the Conservatoire Royal de Musique in Brussels. In the 18th century it was quite common for recorder players to perform their own versions of well-known works. Telemann's "Fantasias" quickly gained in popularity. Johann Joachim Quantz, Frederick the Great's recorder teacher, recommended them as a "prime example of virtuosic flute music".

Born in Basle (Switzerland), recorder player Muriel Rochat Rienth plays regularly with different Swiss orchestras and is the director of her own baroque ensemble, LA TEMPESTA BASEL, awarded with the Swiss ORPHEUS-prize. She recorded two CDs for Spanish label Enchiriadis, both highly acclaimed by the international music press: in 2009 the Tenor Cantatas and Recorder Sonatas by J.C. Pepusch and, in 2014, the Tenor Cantatas and Recorder Sonatas by Telemann with her husband, tenor Felix Rienth, elected among the "10 best CDs of the month" by Spanish magazine RITMO and called "Excellent disc" by FANFARE (USA). In 2015 she published Handel's Complete Recorder Sonatas with harpsichordist Andrés Alberto Gomez, again elected among "Best CDs of the month" by RITMO and enthusiastically reviewed by German, Swiss, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, Italian and US magazines (FANFARE). Further CD projects for VANITAS include Veracini's Recorder Sonatas and an Italian programme with LA TEMPESTA BASEL. Muriel Rochat Rienth teaches at the Conservatoire de Fribourg (Switzerland).

Tracklist:
01 - Fantasia No. 1 in C Major, TWV 40: Vivace, Allegro
02 - Fantasia No. 2 in D Minor, TWV 40: Grave, Vivace, Adagio, Allegro
03 - Fantasia No. 3 in D Minor, TWV 40: Largo, Vivace, Largo, Vivace, Allegro
04 - Fantasia No. 4 in E Flat Major, TWV 40: Andante, Allegro, Presto
05 - Fantasia No. 5 in F Major, TWV 40: Presto, Largo, Presto, Dolce, Allegro, Allegro
06 - Fantasia No. 6 in F Minor, TWV 40: Dolce, Allegro, Spirituoso
07 - Fantasia No. 7 in F Major, TWV 40: Alla Francese, Presto
08 - Fantasia No. 8 in G Minor, TWV 40: Largo, Spirituoso, Allegro
09 - Fantasia No. 9 in G Major, TWV 40: Affettuoso, Allegro, Grave, Vivace
10 - Fantasia No. 10 in a Minor, TWV 40: A Tempo Giusto, Presto Moderato
11 - Fantasia No. 11 in B Flat Major, TWV 40: Allegro, Adagio, Vivace, Allegro
12 - Fantasia No. 12 in C Minor, TWV 40: Grave, Allegro, Grave, Allegro, Dolce, Allegro, Presto