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Atma Classique5
Tendres Échos
Anne Thivierge, flute; Mélisande Corriveau, viola da gamba; Eric Milnes, harpsichord
Atma Classique, August 2023
In this collection of French baroque flute works, baroque flute specialist Anne Thivierge, multi-instrumentalist Mélisande Corriveau (here playing viola da gamba), and harpsichordist Eric Milnes join forces to present canonical French baroque flute pieces, using historically informed performance techniques and instruments.
Thivierge’s tone is sweet and fluid; she expertly showcases the difference between the 17th-century German flute and the Boehm model used beginning in the Romantic era. Her musicality and inflection is extremely well-suited to the dance styles of many of the sonata’s movements. This is especially evident in the third movement, Gavotte: Les caquets, of Michel Blavet’s D-minor flute sonata. Corriveau and Milnes, meanwhile, manage to simultaneously support and amplify Thivierge’s melody. The use of ornamentation is traditional and consistent with the French style. Although the conventions of baroque performance can sometimes present a challenge to musicians, making it difficult to adhere to tradition while expressing one’s individual musicality, the group manages to strike a delicate balance with their use of ornamentation, dynamics, and shaping. They do this while always letting the music speak for itself.
Francois Couperin’s Concert Royal No. 2, in D major and minor is a cornerstone of the baroque flute repertory, making it a welcome—but not unexpected—track on the album. The contrast between the parallel keys throughout the concerto is unique for its time, and is extremely captivating. This, paired with the obvious expertise of all three musicians, makes it a magnificent centrepiece to the album. A modern recording of this piece, performed with historical accuracy, is extremely hard to come by. This album will undoubtedly appeal to young flutists seeking new recordings of baroque music.
Baroque music can be difficult to understand as a performer and listener, but when rendered with this level of precision, it can be fairly self-affirming. Thivierge, Corriveau and Milnes have understood this, and the result is an outstanding presentation of French baroque fundamentals.
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
Francais (French)
