Telemann: Sonatas, Trios & Concerti / L’Accademia Giocosa

Georg Philipp Telemann, composer

Georg Philipp Telemann (14 March 1681 – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family’s wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hildesheim, Telemann entered the University of Leipzig to study law, but eventually settled on a career in music. He held important positions in Leipzig, Sorau, Eisenach, and Frankfurtbefore settling in Hamburg in 1721, where he became musical director of the city’s five main churches. While Telemann’s career prospered, his personal life was always troubled: his first wife died only a few months after their marriage, and his second wife had extramarital affairs and accumulated a large gambling debt before leaving Telemann.

Telemann was one of the most prolific composers in history (at least in terms of surviving oeuvre) and was considered by his contemporaries to be one of the leading German composers of the time—he was compared favorably both to his friend Johann Sebastian Bach, who made Telemann the godfather and namesake of his son Carl Philipp Emanuel, and to George Frideric Handel, whom Telemann also knew personally. Telemann’s music incorporates several national styles (French, Italian) and is even at times influenced by Polish popular music. He remained at the forefront of all new musical tendencies and his music is an important link between the late Baroque and early Classical styles.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Philipp_Telemann

L’Accademia Giocosa, ensemble 

L’accademia giocosa was founded in 2010 by musicians from the Symphony Orchestra of the Bavarian Radio, as well as freelance artists of the Early Music scene with the aim to give life to the wonderful and diverse music of the 18th Century.  The members are leading instrumentalists in their field, winners of various international competitions, and hold among others Professor at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and at the universities of Music in Würzburg and Karlsruhe. Through years of artistic collaboration with, among others, Reinhard Goebel, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, John Elliott Gardiner or Christopher Hogwood, the musicians have found a distinguished place in the field of early music. In 2012, the ensemble recorded its first CD with unknown instrumental works of G.Ph. Telemann, recently released on Oehms Classics. In addition to recording activities, the ensemble’s current season includes numerous concerts, featuring collaborations with soprano Anna Prohaska, the recorder player and Echo-winning actress Dorothee Oberlinger, trumpeter Wolfgang Gaisböck and the viola da gamba player Vittorio Ghielmi, among other notable artists.

Source: http://www.accademia-giocosa.com/ensemble/