An entire disc of solo recorder music usually presents a challenge for a listener–regardless of the claims in the notes to this mostly impressive program that the recorder “is probably the instrument that is closest to the human voice”, there is a sameness to the timbre and limitations to articulation and dynamics, not to mention a penetrating quality that can tax the ear after 15 or 20 minutes. Stefan Temmingh wisely chose a program that’s quite varied in its array of instrumental arrangements (newly constructed by Temmingh for this recording) and in its selection of works primarily drawn from Handel operas.
In Handel’s London it was a given that soon after each new opera’s premiere, arrangements of arias from the work would be published and sold to the large numbers of amateur musicians who ate them up on the order of say, consumers of Beatles records in the ’60s or Harry Potter books in recent years. And that’s the thing: these pieces were designed for players to enjoy in their homes with family and/or friends; clearly they were/are more fun to play than to just sit back and listen to at a stretch.
We certainly can go a long way in admiring Temmingh’s technique–although I always have preferred Michala Petri’s style, tone, and virtuosity, whatever the repertoire–however, it’s difficult to regard these pieces (out of their operatic context) as anything other than intended: momentarily entertaining confections. Not that there’s anything wrong with that–and if you’re interested in such an indulgence, you’ll be mostly happy with the program on display here. I say “mostly” because in at least two of the slower arias–“Lascia ch’io pianga” and the disc’s concluding “Convey me to some peaceful shore”–Temmingh plays ever-so-slightly and consistently under pitch, a fate that every recorder player suffers from time to time but that shouldn’t be preserved so perfectly on disc.
As mentioned, the arrangements benefit from the varied instrumental combinations–which include baroque bassoon, gamba, baroque harp, and psaltery(!)–and there are several very exciting and impeccably executed fast pieces and passages that allow Temmingh to put his virtuosity on full display. The sound is bright and complementary. You know if you want this.
