Graceful Passages

Another very good record from this Asian musician. The music is a graceful, crystal clean and dynamic oriental New Age. Not really floating and not linear at all. The music is pure source of natural energy. The tracks are definitely more acoustic than electric. The songs are rather loaded: classical strings arrangements, Asian string instruments (exotic harp among others), woodwind instruments, modern keyboards and beat, exotic percussions. It has some elements from Andreas Vollenweider and Checkfield, put into an Asian style. The music is delightful and colorful.

Bohemian born Josef Fiala (1748-1816) was renowned as an oboist, receiving a letter of recommendation from none other than Leopold Mozart. So it is no surprise that his compositions often favor that wind instrument, including the two quartets on this recording. Both follow a four movement structure, each a minuet in a different sequence. In the opening ‘Allegro spirituoso’ of the F Major Quartet, the oboe immediately grabs the spotlight and never lets go. With a faint violin as an echo, the solo wind drives this relentlessly charming 1st movement through a brief minor keyed interlude and solo passages brimming with triplets.

As a drummer for a Dutch infantry regiment, German born Friedrich Hartmann Graf (1727-1795) was captured during the War of the Austrian Succession. Upon his release, he took up the flute and became a traveling virtuoso. After a stint in The Hague with his older brother Christian Ernst (1723-1805), he accepted a position in Augsburg where he composed most of his 46 flute concertos. All four on this disc follow the standard format of ‘fast-slow-fast’, and were probably composed in the 1770’s, the first 2 likely near the end of the decade. Written in C Major, the opening ‘Allegro’ of the first concerto is thoroughly engaging.

Mozart claimed to dislike the flute and, for that matter, the harp as well which also plays a prominent role in this compilation. But in spite of that, he produced music for the flute in a variety of genres all of which is delightful and much of which is masterful. This release on Philips's "duo" series presents an excellent opportunity for an overview of Mozart's works for flute, well played. It also offers a rare opportunity to hear a variety of performers on the flute and other instruments and orchestras.

The history of German baroque music is inevitably dominated by the towering figures of Schütz, Buxtehude, Bach and Handel; and yet, throughout the period, there was much fine, rewarding and delightful music being produced by their colleagues and contemporaries, and Johann Philipp Krieger is an excellent example. This Nuremberg composer was a contemporary of Corelli, and in many ways his instrumental music is related in style. These twelve Trio Sonatas approximating to the 'sonata da chiesa' format are attractive, beautifully crafted and tuneful pieces, each one consisting of several sections with frequent changes of pace and mood within each work but resulting in a satisfying, finely structured unity.

Boccherini's stature as a great composer stands chiefly on his works for cello - these concertos, the cello sonatas, and above all the quintets for two violins, viola, and two cellos. The two performances by Tim Hugh and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, produced by Naxos, may not set the bar for interpretive brilliance, but Mr. Hugh plays beautifully, with excellent tone in his highest passages, and the price is right. If you haven't given Boccherini a listener's chance, these two CDs, sold separately, might open your ears.