The previous SACDs from this group – probably the world’s leading quartet of recorder players – were of mostly baroque music and most appealing with the added spatiality imparted by the hi-res surround. This time we have all contemporary works by the same composer, and in a minimalist framework to boot. So the intended audience for this disc is going to be necessarily a bit smaller. At least the works are fairly tonal in spite of being minimalist.
The Italian composer began writing works for recorders in the late 1980s, and Fade Control was his first work. It is full of interesting beeps and bloops and complex rhythms. Two of the pieces were inspired by melodies from the medieval Latin choral world, and they conjured up in my mind’s eye a tiny reed organ played by birds. The Sonatina in Quartetto is quite a surprise, applying minimalist style to disco music. If the preceding mild flutey sounds were drowsing you out, these three short movements will wake you up. They are titled Disco Rhythm, Disco Minuet and Disco Rondo.
The technical proficiency of the ALSQ is phenomenal. One never hears the slightest sour note or clam – usually so likely when hearing multiple recorders, however skilled the performers. And like all of Channel Classics’ discs, sonics are a model of clarity.
– John Sunier
