Flanders Recorder Quartet in Miller Theatre Early Music Series

On Saturday night I attended a concert by the Flanders Recorder Quartet at the American Academy of Arts and Letters, presented as part of Miller Theatre's Early Music Series.

These four Dutch gentlemen are super-virtuosi.  Their program consisted of Baroque music, either originally for recorder ensemble or arranged for that combination.  They played a variety of recorders, from something little bigger than a high-pitched penny whistle to a monstrous thing played standing up that touched the floor at its bottom and loomed feet over the head of the player at the top.  The problem, for me, was that this mellow combination of instruments produced such dulcet tones that I had a hard time concentrating through the first half of the program, especially as the music was not incredibly distinguished.  The second half was better, culminating in a performance of Johann Sebastian Bach's Passacaglia in C Minor.  (The program had it wrong, listing it as Passacaglia in G, keeping me guessing about what I would be hearing until the music began.)  Surprisingly, this biggest and most majestic of JSB's works for organ was really wonderful in an arrangement for four recorders.  For an encore, they performed an arrangement of some music from Antonio Vivaldi's Op. 3.  And I would have to say that the finale and the encore were the best music on the program. 

I think this group would be more effective heard in combination with other instruments.  An entire evening of music for recorder ensemble begins to sound like too much of the same.  But on their own terms, they are fantastic.

Comments

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Their program consisted of Baroque music, either originally for recorder ensemble or arranged for that combination. They played a variety of recorders..

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I think they are from belgium.
Here is their official website:
http://www.flanders-recorder-quartet.be