Book Review: “Telemann en tijdgenoten” (“Telemann and contemporaries”)

Telemann en tijdgenoten (“Telemann and contemporaries”), music for solo lyre; arranged by Petra Rosenberg

This is a lovely collection of Baroque music by French, German, and Italian composers, many of them probably new discoveries for most lyre players. Some of the pieces are edited in two separate keys for both soprano and alto lyre. Although the arrangements are made for a solo player, many of the pieces can be played by two players (stems up and down). The difficulty level is rather high when played solo. However, this should not be seen as a deterrent, as the wide variety of pieces offers wonderful opportunities for expanding and refining one's technical skills, such as finger dexterity, damping, playing separate voices at the same time, and interpretation. Petra Rosenberg isn't giving any dynamics, tempo indications, articulation or fingerings - a wide field for discoveries for each player!

Reviewed by Veronika Roemer

From the Book - Telemann en tijdgenoten, Muziek voor lier solo