The Fantasias for solo violin composed by Georg Philipp Telemann (Magdeburg, 14th March 1681 – Hamburg, 25th June 1767) were published in 1735, approximately fifteen...

The Fantasias for solo violin composed by Georg Philipp Telemann (Magdeburg, 14th March 1681 – Hamburg, 25th June 1767) were published in 1735, approximately fifteen years after the Sonatas and partitas for solo violin by Johann Sebastian Bach. We do not know if Telemann knew Bach’s masterpieces, but surely he did not have the same speculative concerns as Bach; indeed Bach tended to reconstruct the polyphonic texture on a monodical instrument thanks to a game of real sounds and underlying notes. On the contrary, in Telemann the pleasure of exploring the possibilities of the instrument prevails, as well as identifying original technical and expressive solutions, to enhance the performer’s capabilities, with the aim of fascinating, surprising and involving the audience.