Description
This Suite was originally written for Flute (or Recorder) and Strings: it is here arranged for Flute and Piano, edited by Louis Moyse. It stands out amongst Telemann's work for its cosmopolitan sampling of the various styles of music known to the composer. It contains a pair of French Menuets, two Passepieds from Brittany, a Polish Polonaise, and an Air à l'italienne. For good measure, Telemann throws in two quasi-illustrative movements, describing Les plaisirs and a Réjouissance, respectively. The Overture is perhaps the best-known part of the work and is remarkable for its almost processional feel, and it reappears as the Conclusion at the suite's end.
This diversity of styles and means fits well the template of a suite, but the unifying intelligence behind all of them is definitely that of Telemann.
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