If you’re looking for an expertly played and beautifully recorded program of pleasant Baroque flute works, you can’t go wrong here. Flautist Maurice Steger and colleagues deliver consistently captivating performances of these always charming if occasionally less-than-inventive sonatas–although a few could qualify as minor masterpieces. Fast movements are handled with dashing virtuosic speed; the slower ones are exquisitely delicate and soulful. Arguably, the most fascinating, memorable moments of the program occur in the second and third movements of the 23rd sonata, where Sammartini’s inspiration approaches that of his better-known, near-exact contemporary Antonio Vivaldi.
Harmonia Mundi’s sound is audiophile quality with carefully balanced instruments captured in a complementary space that preserves detail and projects a full-bodied ensemble presence. It’s doubtful a better case can be made for this music.
