Dietmar Berger - Telemann: 12 Fantasias for Viol Without Bass (Arr. D. Berger for Cello) (2021)

This recording provides a special occasion to discover a bundle of works which was deemed lost until a few years ago. The "Fantasies pour le Basse de Violle" was published with the French title in Hamburg (1735) and was discovered in 2015 by the French musicologist Franois-Pierre Goy. Since then, the bundle has been added to the other bundles for solo instruments composed by Telemann over many years.

All of those are titled "Fantasie" and are written for different instruments transverse flute, violin, harpsichord and the viola da gamba (viol). This recording has been made with the consideration of a cello. The transposition from the viola da gamba to the cello should not be surprising. Although they do not belong to the same family, the bounds between them are strong and marked an entire epoch. In a surprising fact, Telemann dedicated an entire bundle for an instrument that was no longer in fashion in 1735. The audience and the instrumentalists turned to cello, whereas the viola da gamba belonged to a past time. Yet, between 1717 and 1723, J.S. Bach composed the famous Suites for cello solo and it seemed that his first thought was to dedicate them to the Viola da Gamba! Thus, this recording provides a further stimulus to research the analogies and differences between Bach and Telemann. Telemann explored the potential of the solo instrument as Bach did. He recreated an imaginary polyphonic structure given by melodic instruments and used patterns taken from different forms, from the Sonata to the Concerto, with structures that consisted of three sections or with fugato parts, where the counterpoint matched with the melodic talent of Telemann.