Händel: A Flauto e Cembalo (2009)

Germany's MDG label is an audiophile outfit distinguished not by special technical wizardry but by close attention to sound environment. Here the label's engineers operate in one of their favorite venues for chamber music, the former farmhouse of the Marienmünster Abbey in that small Rhine River-area city. Its effect here is truly marvelous, with small details standing out in the sounds of the various recorders used in this disc of Handel sonatas for recorder and harpsichord (not really, as the notes point out, continuo). ... Read More

Germany's MDG label is an audiophile outfit distinguished not by special technical wizardry but by close attention to sound environment. Here the label's engineers operate in one of their favorite venues for chamber music, the former farmhouse of the Marienmünster Abbey in that small Rhine River-area city. Its effect here is truly marvelous, with small details standing out in the sounds of the various recorders used in this disc of Handel sonatas for recorder and harpsichord (not really, as the notes point out, continuo). Two of those recorders come from the period when these sonatas were written, not a terribly common occurrence with this relatively fragile instrument, and they are beautifully showcased here. The harpsichord of Russo-Israeli-American performer Zvi Meniker is made resonant but not overwhelming, and the interplay with recorder player Heiko ter Schegget is crackling with excitement. The performers appearing on this label are never less than competent, but this pair is outstanding.... Read Less