Luogo e data di registrazione		Production I: - Huize Queekhoven, Breukelen (Holland) - February 1964 - Hervormde Kerk, Bennebroek (Holland) - June 1964 Production II: - Huize Queekhoven (Holland) - February, September, October, December 1964 - Hervormde Kerk, Bennebroek (Holland) - February, September, October, December 1964 Production III: - Hervormde Kerk, Bennebroek (Holland) - Dcember 1964 / January 1965
	Registrazione: live / studio		studio
	Producer		-
	Prima Edizione LP		Telefunken - TK 11 500/1-2 - (2 LP) - durata 1h 15' 31" - (p) 1964/65 - (c) 1981? - Analogico
	Edizione "Reference" CD		Tedec - 8.43776 ZS - (1 CD) - LC 3706 - durata 75' 31" - (c) 1987 - AAD
	Cover		Detail aus einem barocken Bilderrahmen mit König David, Musen, Tugenden und Lastem. Buchsbaumholz / Holland gegen 1670, mit freundlicher Genehmigung des Museums für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg
	Note		-

In the first "Production" of his “Musique de Table“, as also in the other two parts of the collection, Telemann has fully exploited the possibilities of a universal synthesis of style on a large and splendid scale. The Overtüre in E minor begins with a solemn Lentement which Handel, an illustrious subscriber of the work, recalled very clearly three years later when composing the Overture to "Alexander's Feast"; there follows an extensive Allegro whose traditional fugato is relieved by three concertante episodes without continuo. This section is almost symmetrical in form, closely approaching the da capo pattern and the Italian concerto movement, so that in the movement as a whole the combination of the French and Italian traditions is clearly suggested. It ends with a modified repetition of the slow introduction. The dance movements that follow do not bear any of the traditional dance titles - with the exception of the final Gigue - but instead "character" titles, thus following the custom of the later French overture; they are extended, again apart from the Gigue, by trio sections in the form of humorous or sensitive dialogues between two flutes or two violins. The traditional tonal unity of the suite, on the other band, is never sacrificed. The Réjouissance shows traces of Polonaise-like melody; it is followed by a striking Rondeau strongly reminiscent of Rameau (A B A C A), an elegiac, melodious Loure with a Trio full of sighing motifs, an elegant Passepied, an Air in cantabile style “Italianized” by Lombardic rhythms and, finally, the Gigue which, with its 6/4 time and its characteristic up-beats, is clearly in the French gigue and suite tradition. The Quartet in G major (thus in the relative major of E minor) for flute, oboe, violin and continuo is even more clearly derived from a blend of different traditions than the Overture. A melodious Largo in swaying 12/8 time opens it in the manner of an Italian Sonata di chiesa. The fugato Allegro that follows and the abridged repetition of the Largo, however, bring this first section of the work nearer to the form of the French overture; on the other hand, a non-thematic continuo and concertante counter-motifs to the fugue subject impart unmistakably “Italian” features to the movement. The next group of movements also has a three-part outer formal scheme, but here the tempo sequence is reversed (quick-slow-quick). A humourous and extremely virtuoso "Italian" concerto movement in da capo form, in which each of the descant instruments presents its own thematic material, introducing itself in little concertante solo episodes, is followed by a short, sensitive and delicate Moderato; after this the Allegro is repeated unchanged. A brief Grave in the form of a “written-out cadenza” finally leads into the Finale which, although only described as a Vivace, is in reality a stylized Italian Gigue in 6/8 time. The centrepiece of the first “Production” is formed by one of Telemann’s finest instrumental works; the Concerto in A major for flute, violin and five-part string ordiestra, in which the concertante character of the cello part, quite independent of the continuo, is one of the most striking features. just as unusual as this instrumentation (the five-part writing for the orchestra is of French derivation) and the work's dimensions is also its relation of large-scale form and movement types. The more ancient movement sequence of the Sonata di chiesa contradicts the character of the individual pieces, which follow entirely the movement types of the later Italian instrumental concerto - in the tender melodiousness of the slow movements (almost rapturous in the first movement) as also in the striking initial motifs and the melodious episodes of the quick movements, both showing, again unaccustomedly, large-scale da capo forms, the last movement even with strangely subdued, melancholy and strongly chromatic middle section in A minor. The Trio Sonata in E flat major entirely follows the Sonata di chiesa in its form, but shows a character very much of its own in the unusually fine working out of the individual movements. It also increases the intensity and the wealth of nuances of the concerto's emotional language by repressing the latter’s brilliant, extrovert features in favour of the intimacy of chamber music. The peculiarly "floating" and powerfully expressive rhythm of the Grave in C minor with its triplets is just as characteristic a “Telemanian” feature as the infectious dance-like energy of the quick movements. The Flute -sonata in B minor, again in four movements is, by way of contrast, a relatively modest work, concentrating entirely on the techniques and expressive possibilities of the solo instrument and adhering firmly to the baroque unity of emotion of each movement and to the traditional movement characters. The “Conclusion”, a brilliant concerto movement in da capo form with a brief Largo as middle section, recalls the Overture in its key, its instrumentation and its formal scheme, and is also related in its motifs to the first Allegro of the Overture. It thus rounds off the entire "Production" of this truly universal cycle into a meaningful entity. In the second "Production" of his “Musique de Table", as also in the other two parts, Telemann has made extensive use of his universal synthesis of styles and forms and, in accordance with his aesthetic creed and the obligation laid upon him by society and his own fame always to seek - and to have to seek - something new, he deliberately and imaginatively modified the second "Production" in comparison with the other two parts of the work. This is manifested most of all in the orchestration: Overture and Conclusion employ the oboe and the trumpet as ‘conccrtante' solo instruments in addition to the four-part string orchestra, the Quartet and Trio also give preference to wind instruments (recorder, flutes and oboe), and only the Concerto (for three violins) and the Solo Sonata (for violin and continuo) are written for strings only. The D major Overture begins with the traditional festive Lentement of the French Overture in dotted rhythms and rolling runs, but inserts a surprising little episode with rustceally swaying parallel sixths and thirds over sustained chords. (Handel, the only English subscriber to the "Musique de Table”, let himself be inspired by this introduction, and used its two contrasted sections in the final chorus of the first act of "Hercules" in 1744). The Allegro that follows (“Vite”) begins in the traditional fugato manner, but soon introduces typically “Telemannic” rhythmic jokes, triplets and spicy syncopations which give the movement almost the character of hunting music. The further sequence of movements is hardly in the fugato French style any more, but rather in the ‘concertante’ Italian style with big solos for the oboe and first violin and frequent parallel thirds between the oboe and the trumpet. The latter is used here - characteristically for Telemann - not so much with “heroic” motifs as in true ‘cantabile’ style. The movement is rounded off with a varied repetition of the introduction. There now follow four "Airs" in which traditional dance-movement characters of the French Overture and movement forms of the Italian concerto mingle with each other in highly “modern” fashion: a large-scale, energetic quasi-Allemande with extensive solos for oboe, trumpet and first violin (arranged by Handel as the second movement of his Organ Concerto Op. 7 No. 4), a somewhat briefer and less extravagant Minuet in 3/8 time, a Bourrée, again with large-scale, completely ‘concertante’ solos and finally a quasi-Gigue which combines the hunting strains of the first movement with the exuberant gaiety of the Bourrée. The Quartet in D minor is For two flutes, recorder and continuo; instead of the recorder the bassoon or the cello may be chosen alternatively, the part being written in the French treble clef (g’ on the lowest line) so that it may easily be read as bass clef, an octave lower - a technique which Telemann obviously borrowed from the French chamber music of his time. In spite of all the earnestness of expression and all the chamber music strictness and finesse of structure, the tendency to mix various spheres of style is again evident here. The sequence of movements of the baroque Sonata da chiesa is retained (slow-quick-slow-quick), but its polyphonic strictness is relaxed to ‘concertante’ playing, in places almost to thematic working out in the sense of the classical era, with little "speaking" motifs. The quick movements, with their extensive solo passages, show concerto-like features, and the finale with its rapturous A major middle section full of thirds is a little "concerto" in three sections in itself. This work is followed by a genuine Italian concerto that forms the centrepiece of the “Production” - a three-movemet Concerto in f major (thus in the relative major of the D minor Quartet), for three violins and three-part string orchestra. In its outer movements this work develops a real virtuoso brilliance, especially in the broadly conceived and sonorous opening Allegro, while the Largo revels in Telemannian melodiousness, in parallel thirds and sixths of the solo violins over sustained chords and in genuine pastoral melody. The delicate sensitivity of this movements is transformed into the fine, intimate quality of chamber music in the Trio Sonata in E minor for flute, oboe and continuo, above all in the introductory Affettuoso, whose motifs at first appear in dialogue form but are then presented simultaneously with great artistry in the second section. The second movement is lighter in its thematic material and more relaxed in its structure, developing alternately in ‘concertante' style or in those parallel thirds and sixths and anapaest rhythms which play such a prominent role in this entire “Production”. A blending of the spirit of the suite and that of the sonata is then aimed at in the sensitive, elegiac Dolce in A major and the humorous Vivace iinale. With its combination of sensitive, “sighing” melody and predelicilan for thirds and sixths with the pointed humour of its composition and its “speaking” dialogues in which the two wind instruments alternate with one another over a continuo bass mostly thematically free, only providing harmonic support, this Trio Sonata is probably the most "modem" of its time and, in its wealth of expressive nuances and thematic and structural ideas, perhaps the most important work of this “Production”. As in the First Part of the “Musique dc Table”, the solo sonata - here a Violin Sonata in A major - seems less demanding and more conventional in comparison, although it attains concertolike virtuosity in the second movement and develops, particularly in the quick movements, the polonaise-like Vivace and the final Gigue, typical Telemannian rhythms with their "snappy" iambic and anapaestic formulae with magnificent verve. Finally, the Conclusion links up with the Overture in its key and its instrumentation, demonstrating the main purpose of the entire “Musique de Table" - the synthesis of all styles and forms of instrumental music of that time. This is done programmatically as it were, by blending concerto-like ‘da capo’ form with a dignified Adagio middle section, concerto movement form (with symmetrically ordered solo passages framed and separated by a ritornello) and fugal principle (the ritornello is laid out as a fugal exposition) into a magnificently energetic, colourful and virtuoso "final dance”. The third "Production" is clearly modelled on the first in its character and form, particularly in the Overture and the Concerto, so that the three large-scale sections of the complete work together form a symmetrical grouping, just as they are symmetrically construeted in themselves. The Overture-Suite in B flat major (for two ohoes and strings) is in seven movements, like that of the First Part, but its “fashionable” character is strengthened by the inclusion of purely programmatic pieces and the use of modern character designations in place of the traditional French dance titles for the individual movements, except for the opening Overture itself and the final Minuet. The Overture already seeks to modify the French character of the movement in the ‘Lentement’ introduction by mixing the traditional dotted rhythms and dignified, rolling runs with “Italian” mannerisms (Lombardic rhythms), rustic triplets, “sighing” appoggiaturas and finally (similarly to the Overture of the second "Production") a pastoral episode with swaying woodwind thirds over sustained string chords - within the smallest space a wealth of musical characters and nuances of expression that almost seems to burst the characteristic form of such an introduction as it has come down to us. The Presto that follows is again a blending of fugue and concerto as tried out so often by Telemann in his “Musique de Table". The free fugato opening returns four times in varied form as a "concerto ritorrnllo”; in between there are concertante episodes in which the first violin in particular is given an important role to play. The variety of instrumental combinations in these solo passages and the sturdy dance character of the movement contribute further to the modification of the usual style of the French overture allegro. The movement ends in customary fashion with a varied repetition of the Lentement section. As in the Suite of the first “Production”, the movements that now follow are suite movements whose character is modelled on concerto structure, the solo passages being played, as in the Presto of the Overture, by the ohoes and the first and second violin (mostly without continuo). Their basic mood is one of harmless, rough-and-ready enjoyment in which Telemann, far removed from all courtly bearing, gives free rein to his predeliction for folk-music and picturesque tone-painting, for genre music-making and for powerful rhtyhmic effects. Thus the "Bergerie" really is an energetic "Shepherds' Dance", with two extensive solo episodes between three ritornellos. Just as much in folk-music style is the ‘Allegresse”, whose Trio is extended into a big concertante “Solo” for two oboes, two violins and ‘cello’ without continuo. The genre character of the "Postillons” is quite unmistakeably clear, this merry piece of programme music being built around a stylized post-horn motif and formally laid out like the “Bergeries“. In accordance with its title, the “Flaterie" is more contemplative, gentle and somewhat coquettish in its effect; it transforms the traditional Sarabande character, still just discernible, completely irito that of a characteristic piece, and even introduces tutti-solo contrasts within the minute space of the individual formal sections of a suite movement. The "Badinage", related not only in title to the "Badinerie" of Bach's B minor Suite, is again full of humour and vitality (“très vite”), and corresponds exactly to the “Allegresse” in its form. The Suite ends with a rustically energetic Minuet (with a dance movement trio played by the soloists alone, as in the “Allegresse" and the “Badinage"). Handel, an illustrious subscriber to the original edition, made considerable use of its music; the introduction of the Overture appears in the corresponding section of the Overture to “Hercules” (1744), the Presto of the Overture again in the corresponding section of the Overture to the “Occasional Oratorio” (1746) and the “Postillons" in the programmatic Sinfonia in Act II of “Belshazzar” (1744). If this Suite can be called “popular” in style, the Quartet in E minor for flute, violin, cello and continuo can with equal justification be called “erudite”. This is just as true of its overall form, which consistently follows the model of the four-movement Church Sonata in its sequence of movements and their individual types, as of its relatively strict polyphony, which leaves but little room for concertante episodes but nevertheless develops all the melodic and rhythmic charrn of which Telemann’s ingenuity was capable, even in the most demanding and artificial of musical forms. In the third "Production", as in the first, the Concerto (here in E flat major) is not only the formal centrepiece but also the musical climax of this part of the work, again combining, as in the first part, concerto principles with suite movement forms in the four movements of the Church Sonata. Two solo corni da caccia lend it the unconventional colour and character of a resplendent and resounding piece of hunting music. The dignified, grand Maestoso and above all the elegiac Grave in C minor, with its enchanting tone effects and its rapturous, sensitive melody in the solo violins, introduce more serious undertones into this basic mood. The two quick movements, however, especially the Finale in gigue style, bring the merry character of hunting music all the more into the foreground. The D major Trio Sonata for two flutes and continuo that follows this powerful work corresponds to the skillfully written E minor Quartet only in its position in the whole cycle, in its “remote” key and in its traditional four movements. In its style and musical language, on the other hand, it is extremely “modern” in effect, in the sense of post-baroque, "sensitive" stylistic character, created by its rapturous, singing melody with delicately balanced periods in song style, by the parallel writing in thirds and sixths for the two flutes, which overgrows all stricter techniques of part writing, and by its simple bass writing with frequent “drum" effects. The Oboe Sonata in G minor is, like the other two solo sonatas of the “Musique de Table”, a modest piece of “music for playing” that still clearly recalls in its style those baroque traditions which the Trio Sonata had already left far behind; by means of the little “Tempo giusto” Minuet in G major, which is inserted after the second movement, it extends the form of the Church Sonata in suite style. Finally, the ‘Conclusion’, with its tempo indication "Furioso" indicate of unusual things to come, summarizes once again the stylistic elements of the three “Productions”, intensifying the mood of the Suite and the Concerto in a loosely constructed interplay of fugue and concerto techniques and strains of hunting and folk-music into a truly "furious" finale. Handel also recalled this delightful characteristic piece re-creatively in the Overture to "Samson" (1741) and that to the "Occasional Oratorio". But even without such a "patent of nobility” the piece, and with it the entire “Musique de Table", must be classed not only among Telemann’s best works, but among the greatest of all instrumental compositions of the early 18th century.