Georg Philipp Telemann

Ouverture à 7

Right at the beginning of the overture, Telemann comes up with a surprising idea. After the -'bare' entry of the wind section, the string tutti do not join in the playing until the third bar. The 'harlequinade' often appearing in Telemann's overture suites obtains its attraction not least from syncopes and from a permanent change of tone colour. The 'Espagniol' whose title prom-ises a bit of urbanity turns out to be a saraband, the 'Bourrée en Trompette' justifies its name by the tone repetitions typical of trumpet music.In the context of the whole, the 'Sommeille', a harmonically unusual movement in C minor, is almost a piece across the border. Even in this gently rocking piece, Telemann is not at a loss for unobtrusive wit when he lets the upper parts die down shortly before the end, only a single bass tone represents the last chord.