Ernst Ludwig對於法式曲風的音樂，從他1685年參觀法國時便開始了。而Telemann這位多元化的作曲家，也對法國組曲形式不陌生，早在他來到法蘭克福前就已經嘗試寫了不少了。很可惜，大部份他的早期組曲今已失傳。今天保留的一百多首組曲裡，有九十六首是收藏在Darmstadt的。這些名為「overture」的曲子，不是今天大家熟悉的歌劇序曲，而是以法式序曲開頭的「overture - suite」組曲。而Telemann的這些組曲裡，常又有協奏樂器擔任重要的角色，所以又被當時的音樂學家Scheibe冠上「Concertouverturen」一詞，為Telemann的招牌之一。Telemann曾表示過不大喜歡韋瓦第式過份賣弄技巧的獨奏協奏曲，偏好和樂融融的組曲形式。
這兩張CD上收錄的是Telemann眾多Darmstadt組曲裡的六首(G小調 TWV 55:g4，C大調 TWV 55:C6，D小調 TWV 55:d3，D大調 TWV 55:D15，A小調 TWV 55:a2，F小調 TWV 55:f1)。裡面最有名的，應該是有直笛的那首A小調組曲，今天市面上的錄音不在少數。而Telemann的多樣化創意，在於他的組曲中加入了更多不同的元素，除了更多國籍(Espagniol–西班牙，Air a l'Italian–義大利，Polonaise–波蘭)，也有生動的標題的曲子(Les Plaisirs–滿足，Les Irresoluts–優柔寡斷，Les Capricieux–善變)；雖然後者是將法式character piece搬到管絃樂組曲中，但整體風格是Telemann代表的晚期巴洛克不再特別屬於哪個國家的國際風。六首組曲中，有四首有鮮明的雙簧管的橋段，而另外兩首，則是有直笛的參與。
雖然六首組曲都是由Harnoncourt帶領的Concentus Musicus Wien演奏的，不過分別是兩個不同時期的錄音。從錄音年份可以很明顯聽出他們演奏風格的不同，正好有趣地記載了古樂運動的演進。有直笛的A小調及F小調組曲是1966年錄的，算是Concentus Musicus Wien相當早期的錄音。古樂運動的幼兒時期，跟今天大家所熟悉的可是完全不同。過量的抖音以及修飾不講究的長長樂句，立刻讓錄音聽起來是上了年紀。當初Akademue fuer Alte Musik Berlin來表演的時候，正好有演出那首F小調的組曲。回家後我拿出手邊這張複習時，因為是60年代的錄音，差點無法聽下去。不過，A小調的組曲中，直笛部份可是由Frans Brüggen吹奏的，是最可圈可點的部份，特別是他在Air a l'Italien一樂章的表現，真是美極了。Frans Brüggen獨奏的地方，的確是經得起時代檢驗的。
反觀，剩下有雙簧管的四首組曲，是1978年的錄音，正好也是第二波古樂運動開始的年代。英國和德國重要年輕一輩的古樂音樂家，成功地奠定了現代古樂演奏風格。在整體演奏上，晚期的錄音所呈現的活力是非常顯著的。若要用二十一世紀的標準來審視，未免過於嚴刻，因為這些三十幾年前的錄音，已經有模有樣了。像是以奔放演奏風格著稱的Freiburg Baroque Orchestra，也錄過D大調的組曲，而我在這兒保證，Concentus Musicus Wien的老前輩們的演奏並不見得比他們遜色。若真要挑，四首中我比較不滿意的，應是他們處理D小調組曲的方式有點太安份。
總而言之，這兩張CD上的Telemann Darmstadt Overtures，收藏了Concentus Musicus Wien兩個不同時期的錄音。年代較早的錄音，今天雖已經不耐聽，但有它的歷史地位。而較晚錄的四首組曲，一邊享受Telemann的才華，一邊又可以見證古樂演奏在那分水嶺之後的重大轉變。
(寫這篇的過程中，我和當初的寄宿家庭又連絡上了。經過十年多的失聯又搭上線，讓我又興奮又感動。)
Seeing the name "Darmstadt" brings back memories of the year 2000 when I spent a summer as an exchange student in Germany. Unlike the hardcore students who actually spend a full school year in Germany taking technical courses, these summer exchange programs are designed to be more language and culture oriented. It has arguably been my most memorable summer to date. During the process of writing this blog entry, I finally was able to reconnect with the host brother. Since the host brother and sisters are not users of facebook, it took some old-fashioned internet detective work to track them down. I am so grateful that I have been able to do so.
Now, unwind the clock further to 300 years back. Telemann acccepted his new post as municipal director of music of Frankfurt. Like Hamburg, the city Telemann which is later more famously associated with, Frankfurt was a powerful free Imperial city, which was subordinate directly to the Holy Roman Empire. However, just 30 km away was the town of Darmstadt, the capital of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt. The Kapellmeister of the Darmstadt court was Christoph Graupner, which Telemann already knew from his earlier student days from Leipzig. The landgrave Ernst Ludwig was a great lover of music, meaning that there were some fine musicians under his employment at Darmstadt. Telemann quickly took advantage of this situation, where he and Graupner would organize an intensive exchange of musicians between the two cities. For special occasions, Telemann was sure to have the extra players he needed from the Darmstadt court.
Landgrave Ernst Ludwig's musical taste in the French style started rather early, when he was exposed to it while visiting Paris in 1685. And Telemann, being one of the most prolific and versatile composers, was no stranger to the French orchestral suite. In fact, he supposedly wrote a few before his Frankfurt days. Unfortunately, most of Telemann's early orchestral suites are lost. Of the one hundred-some suites that survive today, 96 of them are found in the Darmstadt, and about seventy of these suites have no other copies lying elsewhere. Therefore, the significance of these Darmstadt orchestral suites is quite obvious.
Although titled "overture", it should be clear to those with some exposure to early music that these are not the operatic overtures of the later Classical and Romantic eras. In fact, these orchestral overtures are really pairings of the overture-suite combination, with a leading French overture followed by a series of dances. What Telemann brings additionally to the table, is the significant roles that certain instruments play, a term that music critic Scheibe coined the "Concertouverturen". It has been a trademark of Telemann, who adamantly expressed his dislike of the Italian Vivaldian solo concerto that put too much emphasis on solo virtuosity and favored instead the concertante orchestral suite texture.
Of Telemann's many Darmstadt overtures, six are recorded on this 2 CD set, which are the following: G minor TWV 55:g4，C major TWV 55:C6，D minor TWV 55:d3，D major TWV 55:D15，A minor TWV 55:a2，F major TWV 55:f1. Arguably the more famous suite is the A minor one that features the solo recorder, which is probably the most recorded one of them all. Telemann's inventiveness and resourcefulness can be seen by his going beyond the traditional suite by incorporating more nationalities (Spanish, Italian, and of course his favorite Polish) and other character pieces of very vivid titles, such as Les Plaisirs (pleasure), Les Irresoluts (irresolute), and Les Capricieux (capricious). In doing so, Telemann has transcended the French musical idiom and has replaced it with a cosmopolitan style, which the German composers were renowned for. 4 of the 6 overtures feature oboes, while the remaining 2 involve recorders.
The six overtures on here were previously released by Concentus Musicus Wien under two separate recordings. The two suites with the recorder were recorded back in the 1966 in the early days of the period instrument performance. Still at its infancy and discovery stage, the long musical phrases and abundance of vibrato makes the recording sound extremely dated. After the Akademue fuer Alte Musik Berlin concert, where they played the F minor suite, I dug out this recording in hopes of getting to know the music better. Unfortunately, I was unable to sit through the early Concentus Musicus Wien recording. As for the A minor suite, the shining moment is unquestionably Frans Brüggen, who plays the recorder beautifully and tastefully. In the Air a l'Italien, if you can overlook the dull string parts, Brüggen's treatment is absolutely sublime. In the repeat of the slow section, Brüggen even adds extensive ornaments, a true pioneer of the early music performance spirit.
The remaining four suites with the oboes are recorded in 1978, which represent a clear watershed in early music performance. This coincides with the "second-wave" of next generation early musicians, those British and German ensembles that have today become household names in early music. As such, the difference in vivacity and musicality in their playing is immediate. Obviously, it doesn't fare as well under 21st century period performance scrutiny, but keeping in mind that these recordings were made more than 30 years ago, and you realize that they actually aged reasonably well. A quick comparison of the D major overture played by Freiburg Baroque Orchestra even show that Concentus Musicus Wien manage to hold their own against their younger flamboyant colleagues. Only the D minor suite's playing struck me as more lackluster and less engaging.
In conclusion, this 2-CD set conveniently serves a two-fold purpose. On one hand, it allows one to peer into the genius of Telemann's colorful orchestral writing. On the other hand, it is also interesting in that listeners get to witness the clear evolution of period performance playing style towards that many have come to be familiar with. Repeated listening of the oboe suites has continued to give me non-diminishing musical satisfaction.
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