Ensemble C4 Celebrate Baroque Master Telemann With A Love for Telemann
If you think of Baroque music as powdered wigs and polite background music, Ensemble C4 would like a word. The Norwegian Baroque group's new album, A Love for Telemann, out now on LAWO Classics, treats the music of Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767) not as a museum piece but as a living conversation between past and present.
The most prolific composer you might not know
Telemann was one of the most prolific composers of his age, with a musical language known for its clarity, emotional richness and extraordinary freedom of expression. That freedom is what draws Ensemble C4 to him. His music leaves room for performers to bring their own creativity and personality to it, and that's exactly what they've put at the heart of this recording.
Telemann's music has been central to the ensemble since it was formed in 2015. This is their second CD, following their 2024 recording of Händel's Neun Deutsche Arien.
What's on the album
The programme pairs three chamber works with vocal music, including the cantatas Jauchzet, frohlocket! der Himmel ist offen (TWV 1:953) and Kein Vogel kann im weiten Fliegen (TWV 1:994) from Harmonischer Gottesdienst, and the Missa brevis (TWV 9:14).
It's a feast of contrasting colours: the virtuoso sparkle of recorder and violin set against the rich interplay of viola da gamba, cello, lute and harpsichord. The chamber pieces crackle with spontaneous musical dialogue, while the cantatas turn biblical references and moral reflections into intimate little dramas.
The players
The recording features countertenor Daniel Sæther, recorder player Caroline Eidsten Dahl and baroque violinist Ingrid Økland, alongside Maria Ines Zanovello (violin), Henrikke G. Rynning (cello), Jadran Duncumb (lute and baroque guitar), André Lislevand (viola da gamba) and Christian Kjos (harpsichord).
Recorded at Grorud Church in Oslo in January 2025, it's an inviting introduction to Telemann's chamber and vocal music, whether you're a seasoned early music fan or just curious.
A rising force in early music
Ensemble C4 play both early music and contemporary compositions, and have built a distinctive style through years of concerts, collaborations and commissions. They have become a fixture of Norway's thriving early music scene and made their international debut in August 2024 with concerts in the Venice and Trentino regions of Italy.
The details
- Artist: Ensemble C4
- Album: A Love for Telemann
- Label: LAWO Classics (LWC1441)
- Released: 6 November 2026
- Formats: digital and CD
Listen on Spotify, and follow Ensemble C4 on Instagram or at ensemblec4.no.
