Andrius Puskunigis oboe & oboe d'amore St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra

Donatas Katkus conductor

TelemannOboe Concertos

Largely self-taught, and despite opposition on the part of his family, Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) proved to be prolific as a composer, writing around 6000 works that have earned him recognition as the most important musician of his time in Germany by his contemporaries, in his lifetime. He was a man of considerable learning and independence of spirit who chose to address a range of national styles (German, Polish, French, Italian) and all musical genres, leaving his own mark on the period not only on account of his many compositions, whose publication brought him international fame, especially in Paris, but also in view of his correspondence and writings on the subject of musical theory and aesthetics, which were to influence Johann Mattheson, J.G. Walther, J.A. Scheibe, J.J. Quantz, J.F. Agricola and F.W. Marpurg. Moreover, he also maintained an epistolary exchange with J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach (his godson), Handel and J.C. Bach.

Among his 600 or so instrumental compositions, about 100 consist of concertos, and of these half are for a single instrument (around twenty for the violin), a quarter for two solo instruments and the rest for three or more. Twelve of Telemann’s concertos for oboe, strings and basso continuo have come down to us, which is an exceptional number. According to the list he included in his autobiography, published by Mattheson in 1740, not one of these works actually appeared in a printed edition.

For the concertos, Telemann largely kept to the form in four movements typical of the concerto da chiesa (church concerto), adopting the Italianate style based on contrast between the virtuoso solo instrument and the orchestra. In general terms, the slow movements consist of a melodious subject in the solo instrument, accompanied by the orchestra. Telemann defended this modern concept of accompanied melody against the theories of chapel master W.C. Printz, a champion of traditional counterpoint. The fast movements often adopt the usual ritornello form, which was a section played by the whole orchestra featuring the main subject, either all together or in fragments, and in different keys, alternating with modulating solo episodes.

GEORG PHILIPP TELEMANN 1681–1767Oboe Concertos

Concerto in G TWV51:G2 for oboe, strings and bc

1 Andante 2’542 Vivace 2’103 Adagio 2’184 Allegro 2’18

Concerto in E minor TWV51:e1 for oboe, strings and bc

5 Andante 3’016 Allegro molto 2’447 Largo 3’248 Allegro 2’23

Concerto in A TWV51:A2 for oboe d’amore, strings and bc

9 Siciliano 2’5810 Allegro 2’5111 Largo 3’2712 Vivace 4’44

Concerto in E flat TWV51:Es1 for oboe, strings and bc

13 Allegro 4’0014 Largo 3’0015 Allegro 3’14

Concerto in E minor TWV51:e2 for oboe d’amore, strings and bc

16 Allegro 2’4917 Andante 1’5618 Allegro 2’14

Concerto in D minor TWV51:d2 for oboe, strings and bc

19 Largo 3’5620 Vivace 3’2521 Andante 2’4322 Allegro 3’34

Andrius Puskunigis oboe & oboe d'amore

St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra 1st violins Giedre Žarenaite (Concertmaster), Eugenija Budzila (5-12, 16-22), Žydre Ovsiukaite, Migle Dikšaitiene, Dalia Tamošiu-niene (1-4, 13-15) · 2nd violins Aidas Jurgaitis, Jurgita Gaubyte, Irena Milošaite · Violas Tomas Petrikis, Vytenis LisauskasVioloncello Domas Jakštas · Double bass Jonas PaulikasGuest player: Céline Scibetta-Puskunigis harpsichord

Donatas Katkus conductor

Oboe Concerto in G TWV51:G2This concerto belongs to the highly productive period Telemann spent in Hamburg around 1720-22. The only known manuscript version of the concerto is a copy of the scores of separate parts of each instrument, that had long been kept in the university library in Rostock. It was discovered in a wretched state of conservation on account of the corrosive nature of the ink used at the time, a problem that is common to many 18th century manuscripts. Moreover the paper was full of holes that impaired the legibility of the text, the bass and harpsichord scores were torn, and there were parts missing in the 2nd and 4th movements. Thanks to Arn Aske, who took on the formidable task of reconstructing the missing and illegible passages, and completing the work in Telemann’s style, we now have an edition of the concerto published by aka musikverlag in Karlsruhe.

Although the frontispiece of the manuscript describes the solo instrument as the ‘Traversière’, the wooden flute of the period, on the separate solo score the wording is Hautbois vel Traversière. So the concerto could thus also be played on the oboe, which was common practice during the baroque age, when the solo instrument was often changed in response to particular conditions, without fundamentally altering the work in question. The range of the solo part is actually quite low for both the flute and the oboe, thereby drawing out their velvety mellowness of sound.

The four movements begin directly with the oboe solo, without a preliminary orchestral introduction. Both the Vivace and the Allegro, with its binary form and recapitulation, develop imitations. Despite some unconventional harmonies in the central part of the Adagio, for instance, and in the parallel fifths of the second bar of the Andante, Telemann forges ahead with an aplomb that was not always shared by J.S. Bach.

Oboe Concerto in E minor TWV51:e1In this work the oboe only plays the subject first presented by the orchestra at the end of the Andante, as though it finally concurs with the ensemble. In the middle

of the second movement the mood of joyful excitement, with its fickle changes and continuous semiquavers (quavers in the basso), suddenly gives way to a meditative Poco Andante, a sort of timeless melody accompanied by chords in the orchestra, which in its turn yields to an even more jubilant passage. Contrasts and abrupt changes of mood are typical of Telemann’s style.

All four movements begin with the tonic E in bass on the first beat of the first bar. That gives momentum to the melody which begins offbeat. This technique is also to be found in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th movements of Concerto TWV51:d2, in the 1st movement of Concerto TWV51:A2 and in the 2nd movement of Concerto TWV51:G2.

Oboe d’amore Concerto in A TWV51:A2Telemann often used the oboe d’amore as a solo instrument on account of its sweetness of timbre, thereby contributing to the instrument’s success, especially in Germany, during the first half of the 18th century.

A manuscript copy of “12 Concertos de G. Ph. Telemann” comprising this work is kept in the Mecklenburg public library in Schwerin, in Germany. It features particular prominence on the part of the basso continuo, which largely acts as the sole accompaniment for the wind instrument in the Allegro. The Vivace is shaped like an aria da capo with ritornello sections, and in the central part the oboe is also only accompanied by the basso continuo. The same is true for the entire oboe cantilena in the Largo, with occasional parallels in the sixth between the oboe and the basso that produce a somewhat harsh effect. Suspended chords in the orchestra introduce and conclude the movement, and we have chosen to embellish them with some melodic figurations in the solo violin.

Oboe Concerto in E flat TWV51:Es1The manuscript score of this highly Italianate concerto is kept in the Hessische Landes- und Hochschulbibliothek in Darmstadt. The work comprises three

natural and pleasant to play. The individuality of the composer’s style is evident to the ear: although it certainly belongs to the baroque age, it also contains hints of the classical style, and in particular the style galant.© Céline and Andrius PuskunigisTranslated by Kate Singleton

Largement autodidacte, et malgré l’opposition de sa famille, Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) fut un compositeur fécond (environ 6000 œuvres !), considéré comme le plus important de son temps en Allemagne. Esprit cultivé et indépendant, personnalité artistique unique se confrontant à tous les styles nationaux (allemand, polonais, français, italien…) et tous les genres musicaux, il marqua beaucoup son époque par : ses abondantes compositions, dont la publication partielle lui conféra une réputation internationale notamment parisienne ; sa correspondance et ses ouvrages sur les questions de théorie musicale et d’esthétique, qui influencèrent Johann Mattheson, J.G. Walther, J.A. Scheibe, J.J. Quantz, J.F. Agricola et F.W. Marpurg ; et par la correspondance qu’il échangea notamment avec J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach (son filleul), Haendel et J.C. Bach.

D’après les connaissances actuelles, parmi les 600 compositions instrumentales de Telemann figure une centaine de concertos dont la moitié pour un seul instrument (environ vingt pour le violon), un quart pour deux solistes et le reste pour trois solistes et plus. Douze concertos pour hautbois, cordes et basse continue de Telemann nous sont parvenus. Déjà ce nombre est exceptionnel. D’après la liste figurant dans son autobiographie publiée par Mattheson en 1740, Telemann n’en a publié aucun.

Pour ses concertos, il garda très souvent la forme en quatre mouvements du concerto da chiesa (concerto d’église), tout en écrivant dans le style italien qui repose sur l’opposition entre l’instrument soliste très virtuose et l’orchestre. D’une manière générale, les mouvements lents sont des cantilènes accompagnées par l’orchestre. Telemann défendait la mélodie accompagnée moderne, contre le maître de chapelle et

movements, and both the compositional style and time signature are reminiscent of Albinoni. The accompaniment to the solo passages is light, which underlines the virtuoso qualities of the oboe: the basses and the violas are often removed, they only punctuate the sentences, or else there is only the continuo (which accompanies the oboe). There is a short cadenza at the end of the Largo, and the second Allegro is structured as an aria da capo with ritornello sections, reminiscent of a dance.

Oboe d’amore Concerto in E minor TWV51:e2This concerto was written around 1720, which could have been towards the end of the Frankfurt period, or at the beginning of Telemann’s time in Hamburg. It also comprises three movements, and features a marked degree of thematic unity. The start of the subject of the last movement is a sort of melodic variant of the start of the subject of the first movement (a return to the three repeated E notes, without the ornamentation), moreover with the same harmony and a similar basso part. The solo part includes figurations in semiquavers that are characteristic of the violin and were widespread in Italian music of the age.

Oboe Concerto in D minor TWV51:d2The documentary sources for this concerto are fragmentary, but Wolfgang Hirschmann has written a plausible version of the missing first violin part, published by Carus Verlag. Italianate in style, the work was probably written towards the end of the period between 1716 and 1721, when Telemann was living in Frankfurt.

In the third movement, the repeated semiquavers in the orchestra suggest the movement of a clock, while the highly lyrical melody entrusted to the oboe encompasses some dissonant chromatic passages featuring augmented seconds, as in the Largo. This is typical of Telemann, and so are the surprising key changes in the Vivace. The Allegro, which has a binary form with reprises, is a dance that gains breadth and scope from the oboe thanks to the long bariolage passages.

Telemann’s oboe concertos vary considerably in musical terms, yet they are always

Oboe Concerto in E minor TWV51:e1Ce n’est qu’à la fin de l’Andante que le hautbois joue le thème présenté par l’orchestre, comme s’il tombait enfin d’accord avec. L’agitation joyeuse du deuxième mouvement, avec une écriture très changeante et des doubles croches perpétuelles (croches à la basse) s’interrompt brutalement au milieu pour laisser place à un Poco Andante, instant méditatif, sorte de mélodie intemporelle accompagnée par des accords tenus à l’orchestre ; puis l’excitation repart de plus belle ! Le contraste, le changement brutal d’atmosphère font partie du style de Telemann.

Les quatre mouvements démarrent tous avec la tonique mi sur le premier temps à la basse, donnant l’élan à la mélodie qui commence à contretemps. On retrouve cette technique dans les 2ème, 3ème et 4ème mouvements du concerto TWV51:d2, dans le 1er mouvement du concerto TWV51:A2, et dans le 2ème mouvement du concerto TWV51:G2.

Oboe d’amore Concerto in A TWV51:A2Telemann employa volontiers le hautbois d’amour comme instrument solo, à cause de la douceur de son timbre. Son épanouissement a eu lieu surtout en Allemagne durant la première moitié du XVIIIe siècle.

Une copie manuscrite de « 12 Concertos de G. Ph. Telemann » contenant ce concerto se trouve à la bibliothèque publique de Mecklenburg à Schwerin en Allemagne. La basse continue y tient un rôle prépondérant : dans l’Allegro, le hautbois n’est accompagné le plus souvent que de la basse continue. Dans la partie centrale du Vivace, qui est de forme aria da capo à ritournelles, le hautbois est accompagné de la seule basse continue. C’est aussi le cas pour toute la cantilène du hautbois dans le Largo, avec parfois des parallélismes à la sixte produisant un effet un peu râpeux. Ce dernier est introduit et conclu par des accords suspensifs orchestraux, nous avons choisi de les ornementer par des mélismes de violon solo.

théoricien W. C. Printz, tenant du contrepoint traditionnel. Les mouvements rapides adoptent le plus souvent la forme habituelle du ritornello : le ritornello, section jouée par tout l’orchestre faisant entendre le thème principal, intégralement ou par fragments, et dans différentes tonalités, alterne avec des épisodes solistes modulants.

Oboe Concerto in G TWV51:G2 Ce concerto provient de la période très productive de Telemann à Hamburg, autour de 1720-22. Le seul manuscrit connu du concerto est une copie de ses parties, qui a été conservée pendant longtemps à la bibliothèque universitaire de Rostock. Il a été trouvé en très mauvais état, à cause de la corrosivité de l’encre utilisée à l’époque, comme c’est le cas pour beaucoup de manuscrits du XVIIIème siècle. En plus de trous assez importants dans le papier qui diminuent la lisibilité du texte, les parties des basses et du clavecin ont été déchirées. En outre, il y a des parties manquantes dans les 2ème et 4ème mouvements. Par un travail long et fastidieux, Arn Aske (édition akamusikverlag Karlsruhe) a reconstruit les passages manquants et illisibles, et a complété l’œuvre dans le style de Telemann.

Alors que sur la page de titre du manuscrit figure seulement la Traversière, la flûte traversière en bois de l’époque, comme instrument solo, sur la partie séparée du solo est noté Hautbois vel Traversière. Le concerto pouvait donc se jouer aussi sur le hautbois, ce qui correspondait à la pratique habituelle dans le baroque d’interpréter les œuvres en changeant d’instrument en fonction des conditions particulières, sans les transformer fondamentalement. L’ambitus de la partie solo, assez grave pour la flûte traversière et pour le hautbois, met en valeur leur son tendre et moelleux.

Les quatre mouvements débutent directement avec le hautbois solo, sans ritournelle orchestrale préalable. Le Vivace et l’Allegro qui est de forme binaire à reprises, développent les entrées en imitation. Le milieu de l’Adagio est harmoniquement peu conventionnel, mais cela ne dérangeait pas notre compositeur (au contraire par exemple d’un J.S. Bach), comme les quintes parallèles à la deuxième mesure de l’Andante.

les changements de tonalités étonnants dans le Vivace. L’Allegro, de forme binaire à reprises, est une danse, dont l’envergure est élargie par le hautbois grâce aux longs passages en bariolages.

Les concertos pour hautbois de Telemann présentent une musique variée et contrastée, naturelle et plaisante à jouer. A l’écoute, il ressort clairement que le style du compositeur possède des touches très personnelles et que tout en procédant du style baroque, il contient déjà en germe des éléments du style classique, notamment grâce au style galant.© Céline et Andrius Puskunigis

Oboe Concerto in E flat TWV51:Es1La source manuscrite est gardée à la Hessische Landes- und Hochschulbibliothek à Darmstadt. Ce concerto est très italianisant : il est en trois mouvements, et le style d’écriture ainsi que les chiffrages de mesure font penser à Albinoni. L’accompagnement des épisodes solistes y est léger, mettant en valeur la virtuosité du hautbois : les basses et alto sont souvent ôtés, ils ponctuent simplement les phrases, ou alors il ne reste que la basse continue. Le Largo possède une courte cadence à la fin. Le deuxième Allegro est de forme aria da capo à ritournelles, et fait penser à une danse.

Oboe d’amore Concerto in E minor TWV51:e2Ce concerto pour hautbois d’amour a été écrit autour de 1720, soit à la fin de la période de Telemann à Frankfurt, soit au début de sa période à Hamburg. Egalement en trois mouvements, il possède une certaine unité thématique : le début du thème du dernier mouvement est une sorte de variante mélodique de la tête du thème du premier mouvement (il reprend les trois mi répétés, sans les broderies), avec en outre la même harmonie et une basse très proche aussi.

On trouve dans la partie solo, des figurations en doubles croches caractéristiques du violon et très répandues dans la musique italienne.

Oboe Concerto in D minor TWV51:d2Pour ce concerto, les sources sont fragmentaires, mais Wolfgang Hirschmann présente une réécriture plausible de la partie manquante de premier violon (aux éditions Carus). On pense que ce concerto proche du style italien appartient aux dernières années que Telemann passa à Frankfurt, c’est-à-dire entre 1716 et 1721.

Dans son troisième mouvement, les notes répétées en doubles croches de l’orchestre suggèrent le mouvement d’une horloge, tandis que la mélodie très lyrique du hautbois comporte des expressions chromatiques dissonantes (avec l’intervalle de seconde augmentée), comme dans le Largo. Ceci est propre à Telemann, ainsi que

Romanzen Op.94, Fantasiestücke Op.73, and Adagio und Allegro Op.70 with the Lithuanian pianist Evelina Puzaite. In 2013 he recorded the Bach Oboe Concertos, and in 2014 the Classical Oboe Concertos (Mozart, Hofmann, Ferlendis, Ditters von Dittersdorf) with the St Christopher Chamber Orchestra. Aart van der Wal considers his interpretation of the Dittersdorf concerto as one of the best available (November 2015).

Since launching his career as a soloist, he has performed at various international festivals such as the Sylt Art Festival (Germany) in 2010, the Edinburgh International Festival in 2011, and the St Christopher Summer Festival in Vilnius (Lithuania) in 2013. He has twice travelled to Eisenstadt for the 2011 and 2013 International Haydn Days.

Puskunigis now lives in France where, alongside his busy performing schedule, he teaches the oboe and chamber music.

Born in 1979 in Lithuania, Andrius Puskunigis was only five years old when he began playing the oboe under the guidance of his father. A former student of the Kaunas Juozas Gruodis Conservatory, he was offered a position in the orchestra of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre while he was still studying at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.

In 2000, aged 21, Puskunigis moved to France and entered the Metz National Conservatory of Music, where he studied under Serge Haerrig. While in Metz he attended many masterclasses given by renowned oboists (David Walter, Michel Bénet and Jérôme Guichard) and the composer György Ligeti. He graduated with highest honours from the Conservatory in 2005, thereafter studying with Armin Aussem at the Saarbrücken ‘Hochschule’ in Germany in order to improve his orchestral playing.

Since 2007, Puskunigis’s ensemble and orchestral engagements in Germany have included work with the Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn, the Kammerphilharmonie Mannheim and the Gémeaux Quartett. He is currently first solo oboist of the Heidelberger Sinfoniker, conducted by Thomas Fey. His first soloist recording with this ensemble (Haydn’s Sinfonia Concertante No.105 in B major Op.84) was released in 2012.

Ever keen to expand his repertoire, in 2011 Puskunigis recorded Schumann‘s Drei

Artistic director and conductor of the St Christopher Chamber Orchestra, Donatas Katkus is also a violinist, teacher and musicologist who graduated from the Vilnius and Moscow Conservatoires.

In 1965 he founded the Vilnius String Quartet, of which he was a member for 29 years. The quartet’s awards include first prize at the International Liège Competition (Belgium). It tours widely, appearing in the most prestigious festivals. Donatas is currently a professor at the Lithuanian Academy of Music, where he teaches chamber ensemble and string quartet classes. He has given masterclasses at summer music academies in Pommersfelden (Germany), Spain, and Finland.

In 1994 Donatas founded the St Christopher Chamber Orchestra of Vilnius, and in 1995 he successfully implemented his long-standing desire to establish the St Christopher Summer Festival in the same city. In 2003 he was awarded the Lithuanian National Prize of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

The St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1994 by Donatas Katkus and named after the patron saint of travellers, whose image decorates the Vilnius coat of arms. Under the aegis of the city, the orchestra brilliantly represents the excellence of Vilnius musical culture.

The orchestra is composed of the most promising musical talents of Lithuania, its members drawing on both the strengths of the Russian violin school and the European cultural tradition. A number of the musicians have won prizes at various international competitions. The orchestra comprises several chamber ensembles and string quartets, as well as solo performers.

With some 80 annual concerts and 15 new programs per year, the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra is renowned for its remarkable range of musical styles, from the baroque to the contemporary. The ensemble plays baroque music in an authentic manner – it was in fact responsible for initiating the rebirth of baroque period performance in Lithuania. Its approach to classical music encompasses exceptionally vivid articulation, while its performances of Romantic music are firmly rooted in the Russian tradition.

The orchestra is well known as a boldly innovative ensemble, eager to expand its repertoire and constantly involved in a number of original projects, including jazz performances, rock operas or pop events. It has gained national and international recognition, appearing to widespread acclaim in all the major festivals and musical events of Lithuania as well as touring abroad extensively (in France, Spain, Sweden, Russia, Finland, Germany and many other countries). It has performed in such prestigious venues as the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, the Berlin Schauspielhaus, the Köln Philharmonic Hall, the St Petersburg Philharmonic Hall and the Moscow Tchaikovsky Concert Hall.

The St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra has recorded over 20 albums, released under the labels Fleur De Son Classics (USA), Ambitus (Germany), BIS (Sweden), and Dutton (UK). This is their third recording for Brilliant Classics.

Recording: 8-13 September 2015, Church of St Catherine, Vilnius, LithuaniaProduction: St Christopher Chamber Orchestra & Donatas KatkusSound recording and editing: Arturas SabiloPuskunigis photo: © Teodoras BiliunasOrchestra photo: Rytis ŠeškaitisCover: Hamburg, Jungfernstieg, by Peter Suhrp & © 2016 Brilliant Classics