There are precedents for playing these popular
concertos on the recorder, which often shared the common name
‘flute’ with the traverso (or what we might now call a baroque
flute) for which they were written. Indeed, this soloist and the
Drottningholm players probably come closer to a ‘historically
informed’ performance than the large string sections and Boehm
flutes, usually heard until recently in these concertos. Nevertheless,
the ‘cool’, penetrating sound and higher fundamental pitch of
the recorder, even when so well-played, as it is on this record,
is less responsive to subtle inflections than a traverso, especially
in slow movements.
Dan Laurin easily establishes his virtuoso credentials
in the first (C minor) concerto, but as the performance progresses
its shortcomings appear: relentlessly fast tempi that occasionally
find the ensemble at odds with the soloist and obscures some of
the finer detail in these delightful works. The dominance of the
solo line, even in ripieno passages, sacrifices some of Vivaldi’s
masterly touches (in for example La Notte) for superficial
brilliance.
It is, however, difficult not to admire the commitment
and sheer ebullience of the players. Their sense of ease and enjoyment
in the intricacies of Italian Baroque ornamentation alone makes
this disc a desirable extra for anyone who already possesses a
more authentic version. Full marks for chutzpah, and the example
that Dan Laurin provides of the expressive potential of the recorder.
Roy Brewer
Dan Laurin (recorder)