Owing to a long life, short nights, and the ability to work at a dizzying pace, our hero, Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767), must be regarded as the most productive composer the world has ever known – second only to Anonymus. With over 3,600 registered works within a broad spectrum of musical genres and national styles, he became an international star who was able to combine matters both financial and spiritual with brilliance.

Telemann’s illustrious career was an irony of destiny, viewed in the light of his childhood and the vigorous efforts made to steer him away from a life devoted to music – which, it was believed, would be his path to social perdition.