Album

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

CD 1 of 4
Antonio Vivaldi Composer Recorder Concerto in C, RV443 Work Recorded 1979 10:28 Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Orchestra, Michala Petri Recorder
1	1.Allegro	3:52			$0.99
2	2.Largo	3:52			$0.99
3	3.Allegro molto	2:44			$0.99
Giuseppe Baldassare Sammartini Composer Recorder Concerto in F Work Recorded 1979 12:19 Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Orchestra, Michala Petri Recorder
4	1.Allegro	3:35			$0.99
5	2.Siciliano	5:03			$0.99
6	3.Allegro assai	3:41			$0.99
Georg Philipp Telemann Composer Recorder Concerto in C, TWV51:C1 Work Recorded 1979 15:03 Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Orchestra, Michala Petri Recorder
7	1.Allegretto	3:35			$0.99
8	2.Allegro	3:15			$0.99
9	3.Andante	4:22			$0.99
10	4.Tempo di minuet	3:51			$0.99
George Frideric Handel Composer Organ Concerto in F, Op.4, No.5, HWV293 Work Recorded 1979 7:34 Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Orchestra, Michala Petri Recorder
11	1.Larghetto; 2.Allegro	3:52			$0.99
12	3.Alla siciliana; 4.Presto	3:42			$0.99
CD 2 of 4
William Babell Composer Concerto for flute/recorder & orchestra in C, Op 3/1 Work Recorded 1982 7:03 Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Orchestra, Michala Petri Recorder
1	1.Allegro	2:07			$0.99
2	2.Adagio	2:00			$0.99
3	3.Allegro	2:56			$0.99
George Frideric Handel Composer Organ Concerto in Bb, Op.4, No.6, HWV294...Organ Concerto in Bb, Op.4, No.6, HWV294 (arr. oboe, bassoon, and orchestra) Work Recorded 1982 10:38 Graham Sheen Bassoon, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Orchestra, Michala Petri Recorder
4	1.Andante allegro	4:34			$0.99
5	2.Larghetto	3:55			$0.99
6	3.Allegro moderato	2:09			$0.99
John Baston Composer Concerto for flute/recorder, strings & continuo, No.2 in D, "For Sixth Flute" Work Recorded 1982 6:04 Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Orchestra, Michala Petri Recorder
7	1.Allegro	2:04			$0.99
8	2.Adagio	2:10			$0.99
9	3.Presto	1:50			$0.49
Gordon Jacob Composer Suite for treble recorder and string orchestra Work Recorded 1982 18:35 Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Orchestra, Michala Petri Recorder
10	1.Prelude (Adagio, ma poco con moto)	2:35			$0.99
11	2.English Dance (Allegro molto)	1:05			$0.49
12	3.Lament (Adagio espressivo)	4:01			$0.99
13	4.Burlesca alla rumba (Allegro gioioso)	1:36			$0.49
14	5.Pavane (Adagio)	3:16			$0.99
15	6.Introduction and Cadenza (Andante sostenuto)	3:46			$0.99
16	7.Tarantella (Presto con fuoco)	2:16			$0.99
CD 3 of 4
Alessandro Marcello Composer Concerto for Oboe in D-, SF.935 (later transcribed by J.S. Bach, BWV974)...Oboe Concerto in D-, SF.935 (arr. recorder and orchestra) Work Recorded 1984 10:56 Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Orchestra, Michala Petri Recorder
1	1.Andante e spiccato	3:04			$0.99
2	2.Adagio	4:14			$0.99
3	3.Presto	3:38			$0.99
Antonio Vivaldi Composer Piccolo (Flautino) Concerto in C, RV444 Work Recorded 1984 9:47 Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Orchestra, Michala Petri Recorder
4	1.Allegro non molto	4:13			$0.99
5	2.Largo	2:44			$0.99
6	3.Allegro	2:50			$0.99
Georg Philipp Telemann Composer Recorder Concerto in F, TWV51:F1 Work Recorded 1984 12:51 Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Orchestra, Michala Petri Recorder
7	1.Affettuoso	3:13			$0.99
8	2.Allegro	3:48			$0.99
9	3.Adagio	2:39			$0.99
10	4.Menuet 1 and 2	3:11			$0.99
Jacques-Christophe Naudot Composer Concerto for flute (or recorder, hurdy-gurdy, musette, oboe) & strings in G, Op.17, No.5 Work Recorded 1984 11:09 Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Orchestra, Michala Petri Recorder
11	1.Allegro	4:08			$0.99
12	2.Adagio	4:07			$0.99
13	3.Allegro	2:54			$0.99
CD 4 of 4
Nicolas Chédeville Composer Sonata for musette (or hurdy-gurdy, flute, oboe, violin) & continuo in G- (attrib. to Vivaldi, Op.13, No.6) Work Recorded 1984 8:26 George Malcolm Harpsichord, Michala Petri Recorder
1	1.Vivace - Adagio	1:28			$0.49
2	2.Alla breve (Fuga da cappella)	1:50			$0.49
3	3.Largo	1:14			$0.49
4	4.Allegro ma non presto	3:54			$0.99
Arcangelo Corelli Composer Violin Sonata in A, Op.5, No.9...Violin Sonata in A, Op.5, No.9 (arr. recorder and harpsichord) Work Recorded 1984 8:35 George Malcolm Harpsichord, Michala Petri Recorder
5	1.Preludio	2:33			$0.99
6	2.Giga	2:50			$0.99
7	3.Adagio	0:32			$0.49
8	4.Tempo di gavotta	2:40			$0.99
Diogenio Bigaglia Composer Sonata for recorder & continuo in A-, Op 1 Work Recorded 1984 7:42 George Malcolm Harpsichord, Michala Petri Recorder
9	1.Adagio	1:54			$0.49
10	2.Allegro	1:54			$0.49
11	3.Tempo di minuetto	2:08			$0.99
12	4.Allegro	1:46			$0.49
Giovanni Bononcini Composer Divertimento da camera in C-, Op.7, No.6 Work Recorded 1984 7:15 George Malcolm Harpsichord, Michala Petri Recorder
13	1.Lento	2:35			$0.99
14	2.Con spirito	1:01			$0.49
15	3.Largo	1:47			$0.49
16	4.Vivace	1:52			$0.49
Giuseppe Baldassare Sammartini Composer Sonata for flute, violin, oboe, and continuo in G, Op.13, No.4 Work Recorded 1984 9:24 George Malcolm Harpsichord, Michala Petri Recorder
17	1.Andante	3:10			$0.99
18	2.Minuetto	1:56			$0.49
19	3.Adagio	1:00			$0.49
20	4.Allegro	3:18			$0.99
Benedetto Marcello Composer Recorder Sonata in F, SF.765 Work Recorded 1984 9:07 George Malcolm Harpsichord, Michala Petri Recorder
21	1.Adagio	2:47			$0.99
22	2.Allegro	2:31			$0.99
23	3.Largo	1:40			$0.49
24	4.Allegro	2:09			$0.99