Freiburger Barockorchester/ Petra Müllejans, Gottfried von der Goltz Harmonia Mundi HMC 902042-45 (4 CDs)*****

You can gauge the esteem in which Telemann’s Musique de Table was held by the fact that its 1733 publication not only numbered Handel among its subscribers, but that Handel chose to borrow material from Telemann’s stylistically pan-European work for pieces of his own. The three “productions” into which the work is divided are like three separate menus following a pattern which mixes orchestral and chamber music – an overture, a quartet, a concerto, a trio, a solo (ie sonata), and a conclusion. And, like any really great meal, Telemann’s productions delight the palate at whichever point you investigate them. This new recording by the Freiburger Barockorchester is one of those designed to leave a pleasurable tinge at whichever point you choose to sample it. In short, a masterful account of a work of effervescent mastery. See url.ie/55ay