Fantaisies pour la basse de violle

Description

Telemann’s Fantasias represent the most important current discovery in the viola da gamba repertoire and are destined to become one of its cornerstones. The compositions, full of musical references to many different styles, are a distillation of the way Italian and French influences permeated the purely German language to create a specific style, but they are also an example of visionary creativity, as Telemann anticipates many structural elements that define what would become the galant or pre-Classical style. Moreover, by using the Fantasia genre, Telemann gives us a portrait full of boldness, freshness, and a freedom of composition previously unknown. Sara Ruiz plays an anonymous viola da gamba dated to around 1700. Her performance and interpretation are unlike any others that have been recorded so far: she chooses to emphasize the roundness and beauty of tone, while her technical skills allow her to create a drama absent from most accounts by her competitors. She conveys a great variety of tones, moods, tempos, and colors. She does not hesitate to use a lovely legato where a pleasing melody is encountered: she makes her instrument sing almost like a voice. With her, each Fantasia tells a story, each time a particular and thrilling story.