Review: Concerto Copenhagen/Lars Ulrik Mortensen - telling Telemann

The dry, fine-spun, transparent sound of the baroque ensemble Concerto Copenhagen took some getting used to, like a low-salt diet. But once the ear adjusted, the blend of brass, woodwinds, timpani and strings was exquisite.

Director and harpsichordist Lars Ulrik Mortensen led performances of music by Telemann, Vivaldi and Handel with rhythmic vitality and colourful imagination.

Telemann may not be as popular as Vivaldi or Handel, but this performance showed how appealing his music is. His Concerto Grosso in D for three trumpets, two oboes, strings, and basso continuo wove the trumpets and oboes into the ensemble.

The baroque trumpets, notoriously difficult to play, had crimson decorations and sounded bold and bright. The oboes played by Hanna Lindeijer and Per Bengtsson made a graceful pair.

The instruments sounded like quirky individuals when heard alone. The excellent bassoon got a muffled titter from the audience because its personality was so unexpected – lighter, more like a saxophone than the dark modern bassoon. Even the timpani sounded sassy.

Telemann’s magnificent suite, Water Music ‘Hamburg Ebb and Flow’ was composed for the centennial of the Hamburg Admiralty. He paid homage to the water with fanciful depictions of sea gods and goddesses, finishing with a rollicking “The Merry Boat People”.