Telemann: 12 Fantasies for viola solo (2008)

Nobuko Imai is among a very few violists to make a career as an expert soloist on her instrument, often viewed rather dimly as the deeper voiced fiddle that comes in between the violin and cello, always a bridesmaid but never the bride. While the act of transcribing violin literature of the viola is not news -- much viola solo literature is borrowed from the violin or cello, anyway -- Imai's brilliant transcriptions of Georg Philipp Telemann's 12 Fantasies for viola is a strong and exciting entry indeed. In some quarters, ... Read More

Nobuko Imai is among a very few violists to make a career as an expert soloist on her instrument, often viewed rather dimly as the deeper voiced fiddle that comes in between the violin and cello, always a bridesmaid but never the bride. While the act of transcribing violin literature of the viola is not news -- much viola solo literature is borrowed from the violin or cello, anyway -- Imai's brilliant transcriptions of Georg Philipp Telemann's 12 Fantasies for viola is a strong and exciting entry indeed. In some quarters, Telemann's Fantasies are regarded as being of secondary interest to Johann Sebastian Bach's unaccompanied violin music, and this should not be the case, as they are not remotely the same. Telemann's Fantasies are short, compact suites of three or four movements all radically different from one another, yet these little bits flow effortlessly together to approximate the form of a fantasy. This set has been recorded several times, but is not performed with great frequency owing to the... Read Less