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Quantz: Flute Concertos/Rachel Brown, ROy Goodman

Herbert Torgerson | Rochester, MN, USA | 01/12/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great classical cd for new and old listeners alike. It is uplifting for the spirit and when I heard it on NPR, I knew I had to purchase it. Also this is a great one to expose to new or younger individuals."

Great works of an often forgoten composer. Good preformance.

Herbert Torgerson | 01/30/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rediscovering Johann Joachim Quantz, in this recording of flute concertos, is pleasure. An effort, such as the one made by Rachel Brown to resurect these works, is worth it because of the beautty and presicion of the music "per se". Ms Brown's prefformance is worthy of note. The clarity of her playing and enutiation of every note adds greatly to the enjoyment of this album. Congratulations to her and the ensemble."

Lively, Interesting, Even To A Flute-Hater

A. Mazon | 02/04/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Quantz was a later-Baroque period composer, flutist, teacher, theorist and essayist. He acquired these many hats travelling extensively all over Europe and meeting and studying with some of the greatest composers. Quantz's writings are a copious historical record of performance practice, audience tastes around Europe, anecdotes and theoretical instruction in composition and performance. Quantz was also music teacher and court composer, whose boss was a fellow flute player who loved music and had a good amount of free time on his hand, so Quantz wrote hundreds of pieces for his boss to improve his technique and perform for friends and visitors. So Quantz left behind a good sum of compositions and writing, yet his influence has mostly been on a scholarly level. So this disc provided a nice introduction to the art he created.



That background as traveler, teacher and flute virtuoso is apparent on this disc. Quantz obviously LISTENED very well both to his own teachers and music around him, but the music on the disc is not merely a copycat derivative of other composers or styles. Instead we get to hear someone incorporating those influences into their own aesthetic, albeit the very specific, highly technical medium of music written for flute virtuoso. The first concerto and third concerto are in the 3-movement Italian format, with decidedly Italianate melodic and rhythmic elements, with the third concerto having a very Vivaldian air about it, but without the Red Priest's distinct harmonic effects. The 4-movement second concerto opens with a slow movement that doesn't just sound French, but French as filtered through Handel's more marchlike, robust sensibility. In the slow movement of the second concerto, soloist and the first violin unfold a courtly, beautiful dance melody, common both French and French-influenced German music from the time.



Yet what sets this music a part despite its strong influence by other styles is that is virtuoso flute music written within those other styles (and not vice versa, as in music for flute written by those other composers). The flute's the thing here, and Quantz's dazzling technical displays are quite interesting in themselves, even if you do occasionally feel inundated by fast, high-flying passagework. Quantz's phrases, divisions and sense of line seem to fit perfectly underneath Rachel Brown's skilled hands, aided by her centered, warm tone (on a period flute, mind you!). As far as late-Baroque/Rococo filigree goes, the cascades of notes are quite interesting in themselves, and do NOT sound like Vivaldi, Bach, or Handel. Quantz also provides some very stirring, clever melodic parts for the orchestra, and Roy Goodman's continuo keyboard busily comments on the music, occasionally with some very witty punctuations.



All in all, some exciting, different music from a period where we might be used to the same famous names. Worth checking out, even if you normally dislike the flute.

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