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Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) gained fame over much of Europe during the middle of his own life for his gallant and mixed style. In 1726, learned poet Christian Friedrich Weichmann (1698-1770) compared him to the greatest musicians in Venice, Rome, Paris and London (Poesieder Nieder-Sachsen, part 3) and he was to receive increasing acclaim over the next 10 years. In 1740, influential music writer Johann Mattheson asserted in his Grundlage einer Ehrenpforte that Telemann had even eclipsed the two pioneers of the era, Lully (French style) and Corelli (Italian style). Colorful instrumentation is a feature of Telemann's oeuvre and this can especially be heard in his cantatas, operas and orchestral suites, or in his original configurations such as the Concertos for Four Violins without orchestra. Another typical feature of his work, and one which strongly appeals to musicians such as Caroline Eidsten Dahl, is his ability to compose idiomatically. This is hardly surprising, as according to his autobiographical texts, he played harpsichord, lute, violin and recorder during his childhood, and then later learned basic skills on the oboe, the transverse flute, the viola da gamba, double bass and the trombone. This is a fantastic performance of Caroline Eidsten Dahl on recorder alongside Kate Hearne on Baroque Cello and Christian Kjos on Harpsichord.
