REVIEWS

The Herschel Trio, featuring Graham O’Sullivan, Susanna Pell once more and harpsichordist Mie Hayashi, presents a selection of chamber music in Georg Philipp Telemann: A Concert near Darmstadt (Omnibus Classics CC5013, issued 2017, 76’). The recording features music from Six concerts et six suites and several trios for flute, viola da gamba and continuo. The Herschel Trio demonstrates an ability to play with superb cohesion as an ensemble, whilst allowing each instrumentalist their own space and colour. For instance, Pell’s exploration of sul ponticelli bowing is both distinguished from and complimentary to the surrounding texture. The ensemble balance is at times compromised in the concertos, where Telemann is more ambiguous with the instrumental roles and each performer strays from their delineated sonic space. The liner notes gives a clear indication of a pursuit for authenticity and restoration in their performance with the help of leading scholars. I even feel the players are attempting to revive and place themselves within Johan Christian Fiedler’s scene from the front cover. Overall, the performance is refined and polished, though I welcome moments of rhythmic laxity such as the Allegro from the Trio in F major.

Mark Dyer, Early Music, May 2018

---

This is a most beautifully presented CD, with notes by one of the top Telemann experts in the English-speaking world. The Herschel Trio clearly display their alert, intimate and articulate musicianship and the composer’s own prowess in the trio genre. These selected works well suit the ensemble’s sprightly, agile approach; only occasionally did the flute err on the decent side of stridency during a “deep listen” in the headphones! The trios in F major (TWV42: F5) and G minor (TWV42: g7) have been recorded about five and seven times each, strangely matching their classification numbers! The three works chosen from the Six Concerts et six suites (Hamburg 1734) perfectly match the eloquent abilities of the players. The 1734 set offers no less than five variations of instrumentation, which would again seem to espouse the composer’s oft cited adage: “Wer vielen nutzen kan, thut besser, als wer nur fuer wenige was schreibet; Nun dient, was leicht gesetzt, durchgehends jedermann” (“He who writes for the many, does a greater service than he who just writes for the few; thus music easier to play pleases one and all”, from his 1718 autobiography). I’m convinced there are some vocal lines hiding behind some of the movements of the 1734 set (Tempo giusto?). I’d keenly recommend this recording to all who aren’t aware of these works in their flexible musical guises, and others who might collect Telemann trios like rare postage stamps; if nothing else, I’d like to hear the ensemble tackle the remaining suitable works from the 1734 collection… a future project?

​David Bellinger, Early Music Review, March 2018