Telemann: Concerto In A Major

The ever-prolific Telemann, in addition to composing literally hundreds upon hundreds of symphonies, oratorios, operas, and any other imaginable genre, also wrote somewhere around 125 instrumental concertos. Telemann explored every possible variation upon the genre, and many of his concertos hybridize the varied forms of early-eighteenth-century solo concerto and orchestral suite. Nowadays, we are accustomed to hearing the concerto as a work for virtuoso soloist and ensemble. Many of Telemann's concertos, however, simply don't work according to this model, for example "The Frogs," which only features a soloist in the first movement! Another popular trend was the programmatic concerto, to which Telemann contributed the rapid string-changing effect of bariolage in this movement, imitating the sound of croaking frogs.