Georg Phillip Telemann was a prolific composer with a very recognizable style. In this, his first concerto for viola, he used a traditional style of slow-fast-slow-fast for the four movements, giving the viola a full range of opportunities to show the versatility of the instrument. A high school orchestra teacher I once knew said that people who played the viola were just a bit different ... independent and willing to buck the system. Viola rarely takes center stage as it does here.
Viola Concerto in G Major (GP Telemann)
Teleman was in a pretty good job during most of his composing years, holding the position of cantor to the major churches of Hamburg. During a stint in Frankfurt, he was an officer in the Frauenstein Association, something of a philharmonic society, and they held weekly subscription concerts. The viola concerto in g major was written for these concerts.
Enjoy the arpeggios and interplay of melody between the orchestra and the viola in this version conducted by Neville Marriner with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
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