TELEMANN Fugues légères et petits jeux, TWV 30:21–26. 20 kleine Fugen, TWV 30:1–20. 48 Chorale Preludes, TWV 31: 1–48. 6 Ouverturen nebst zween Folgesätzen, TWV 32:5–10. Partias: in G, TWV 32:1; in A, TWV 32:18. class="ARIAL12b">Ouvertures, TWV 32:2,11,12,13,15,16. Suites, TWV 32:14,17 * Roberto Loreggian

Loreggian’s earlier recordings have been praised in Fanfare , and I have no reason to disagree. Without seeming driven, his playing is lively and well articulated, and he is always sensitive to Telemann’s stylistic variety, whether it is tending, at any given moment, to the courtly or to the common. Loreggian made these recordings in Parma—he teaches at the conservatory there—during the summer of 2012, and what could have turned into a sticky and monotonous project (“Next!”) is consistently enlivened by Loreggian’s alert and penetrating musicianship. This might not be the most important music, but it is easy to swallow, and anyone who has enjoyed the work of a composer who apparently was even more prolific than Bach is hereby encouraged to let Loreggian guide them through this relatively unfamiliar territory.

Telemann might not have been as deep as Bach, and might not have risen to his heights, but he was arguably broader, and there’s nothing on these discs that is second-rate. He was a sort of musical sponge that soaked up influences from all over Europe, and particularly Poland. Among the learned counterpoint on these discs you’ll also find raucous peasant parties, honest-to-God dances, and nods to the French aristocracy. At some junctures you might think, “That sounds like Couperin,” and at others, “That sounds like Purcell.” You’ll also find music in the same style that Bach was working in at about the same time. There is enough stylistic variety here to carry you through all five discs in a single afternoon, if you are so minded.

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