That the flute in the last quarter of the twentieth century has been kept in the major concert halls of the world, is in large part thanks to the Danish recorder player Michala Petri. Sometimes eyed enviously, it is always her way away from an old music scene. Her unprecedented international success has its rights. Once a virtuoso miracle child, Michala Petri is now more grownup than ever before - this CD proves it - a mature artist personality. Consistently supported by major record companies, and together with her Duo partner Lars Hannibal, she has founded her own CD label, to be even more devoted to the repertoire which is close to her heart.
A number of years ago, the CD "Moon Child's Dream" presented some contemporary concertante works for the instrument. "Movements" finally brings three new recorder concerts, especially composed for Michala Petri. All three are exquisitely composed and could hardly be more different.
The Catalan Joan Albert Amargós is one of the most important living composers in Spain. His 2005 Northern Concerto betrays the sovereign master of timbre and the orchestra set. Amargós' music embraces its origin, a mixture of Mediterranean color and fiery rhythms, which quite surely conceals their color and immediacy into the concert repertoire's likely tracks. Noticeably, the effect of Amargós' music is not based on superficial variety, but on the masterly control and amalgamation of form, color and content.
No less convincing is the 2002-written Pipes and Bells from Swedish composer Daniel Börtz. He also belongs to the prominent figures of music life. It is already his second konzertantes works for flute and orchestra (to A Joker's Tales, composed in 1999/2000 for Dan Laurin). Also, Börtz dominated the orchestra masterfully: cleverly combining the recorder at the beginning with the mysterious dark timbre of a bass clarinet. Börtz developed his material as effectively as exciting: powerful, percussive passages, with bright accents of the orchestra of an almost angelic light.
The 2000 Etudes written by the American composer Steven Stucky features dodgy rhythms, scales rapid movements, glissandos and ostinatos deploying atmospheric sound of no less of an effective and unique art.
Michala's artistic personality and her outstanding skills are instrumental to the enrichment of the recorder repertoire with these three major works. A phenomenal recording, wonderful music!
Artistic quality:
10
Sound quality:
10
Overall impression:
10
Markus Zahnhausen (25.05.2007)