Located in 2014 by Thomas Fritzsch, a copy of Georg Philipp Telemann’s self-published 1735 fantasias for viola da gamba survived near Hanover at Ledenburg Palace in the collection of Eleonore von Münster (née von Grothaus, 1734-1794).
Dedicated to musical subscriber Mr. Pierre Chaunell (1703-1789) and published in a period when the viol’s popularity was waning in Europe, Telemann’s unique fantasias encompass a plethora of forms: inspired by the Polish and Moravian music of his early career, filled with techniques spanning fugal writing to elements of the rondo and concerto while straddling the High Baroque and the galant.
Join us as we explore Telemann’s self-published 1735 fantasias, the last great collection of virtuoso unaccompanied music for viola da gamba - all while supporting our Illinois Philharmonic!
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