If Telemann was regarded by his contemporaries as one of the greatest of all composers, his star, faced with the overwhelming presence of Bach and Handel, paled in the course of the 19th century to the verge of contempt. This assessment changed radically during the course of the last century.

Through the systematic exploration of his music, Telemann, once considered purely an instrumental composer, has emerged into a highly cultivated, culturally well-connected and enormously versatile artist...