Baroque Recorder Concertos - Pamela Thorby - The Herald

The name of Vivaldi is so familiar and well-worn it is almost second hand. Unfortunately, in that familiarity (which is usually based on knowledge of only the merest fraction of his output), the fact of his astonishing musical inventiveness tends to have taken a back seat to his sheer facility. Anyone who thinks they have a measure of the man should take the reality check offered by this extraordinary CD, in which the renowned recorder player Pamela Thorby - an immense vistuoso of the once-humble classroom instrument - is joined by teh musical wizards of Sonnerie, a group well-known in these parts. Three concertos by Vivaldi are not just breathtaking in the acrobatic playing they require (which is impressive enough) but in the innovation that streams through their translucent textures. As a bonus, this sparkling disc includes a wonderful suite by Telemann, a desperately undervalued Baroque composer whose music is a consummate amalgam of style and craftsmanship.