The Art of the Recorder
composed by Giovanni Battista Fontana, 1571-1630; produced by Nick Parker, fl. 1980; performed by Marion Verbruggen, Trio Sonnerie (Gaudeamus), 50 mins
Details
- Field of Interest
- Classical Music
- Composer
- Giovanni Battista Fontana, 1571-1630
- Content Type
- Music recording
- Duration
- 50 mins
- Recording Engineer
- Nicholas Parker
- Ensemble
- Trio Sonnerie
- Format
- Audio
- Sub Genre
- Piece, Dance, Duo, Trio, Sonata
- Label
- Gaudeamus
- Performer
- Marion Verbruggen
- Producer
- Nick Parker, fl. 1980
- Date Recorded
- 1989
- Review
- Denmark's Michala Petri has continued to dominate the modest but persistent recorder "scene" despite the emergence of a host of younger recorder players from the ranks of Dutch-trained historical-instrument specialists. Collecting a group of her 1970s and 1980s recordings, as has been done here, is an eminently justifiable enterprise, for it was these recordings whose laserlike intonation, whip-smart ornamentation, and all-around attractiveness that caught the attention of listeners in the first place. Petri uncovered and recorded a good deal of Baroque repertory for the instruments, recording it with the likes of England's Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Contemporary performances of the Italian concertos here may have a bit more zip, but actually the group serves as a nicely restrained foil for Petri, who can easily hold the spotlight all by herself. Her sheer technical facility continues to amaze in the little-known French works of the eighteenth century mixed in the program. About the only complaint is the short shrift given to contemporary music, which Petri has championed energetically, both in Denmark and internationally. Despite the inclusion in the booklet of an entire section devoted to the twentieth century, the only contemporary work included is Gordon Jacob's Suite for recorder and strings -- an explicitly neo-Baroque work that is not even typical of the music Petri has commissioned for the instrument. Nevertheless, all the music in this box is worth having and hearing. Listen to the sharp registral leaps in the Allegro molto finale of Vivaldi's Concerto in C for flautino, RV 443 (CD 1, track 3): nobody does these as crisply as Petri does. A nice resource for those who enjoy Baroque recorder music. ~ James Manheim, All Music Guide
- Subject
- Classical Music, Music & Performing Arts, Renaissance, Baroque, Renacimiento, Renascimento, Barroco
- Keywords and Translated Subjects
- Renacimiento, Renascimento, Barroco