Telemann: Trios and QuartetsCPO 777 441-2 ****

This collection of Telemann’s chamber music rings the changes. The quartets are variously played by pairs of flutes and bassoons, pairs of flutes and cellos, oboe, two bassoons and continuo. This is music that was written as much for the players to enjoy as for any listeners. In domestic performance, after all, everyone could be both. Epoca Barocca’s performances are gentler than the norm, especially when it comes to the handling of the soft-toned baroque flute. They offer a style that’s in keeping with the music’s origins rather than a manner designed to reach the back row of a modern concert hall. With a high level of musical invention, and playing that makes its point with an appealingly light touch, this is a disc which finds Telemann very well served. See url.ie/94zb