Concerto à Flauto solo, e Basso F major (Parma No. 9)
Sonata à Flauto solo, e Basso G minor (Parma No. 10)
Sinfonia à Flauto solo, e Basso F major (Parma No. 6)
Sonata à Flauto solo, e Basso B flat major (Parma No. 13)
Sonata à Flauto solo, e Basso F major (Parma No. 8)
Sinfonia à Flauto solo, e Basso C minor (Parma No. 14)
Sinfonia à Flauto solo, e Basso F major (Parma No. 12)

Giuseppe Sammartini (1695-1750), not to be confused with his better known younger brother Giovanni, was the son of a French oboe player. He grew up in Italy but spent most of his adult life working in England. I fail to understand why his music, which when compared to his contemporary Antonio Vivaldi for example is well on par if not better, has fallen into neglect. Is it simply due to the fact that he was far less prolific, or because the recorder, his instrument of choice, was slowly being replaced by the transverse flute. He lived at the time when the Baroque style was being replaced by the advent of the Classical style, of which his younger brother was a forerunner. Nevertheless, this is music of the highest standards, full of invention and harmonic innovation, and even some peculiar twists and tricks. For example his Sinfonia à Flauto solo, e Basso C minor (Parma No. 14) is full of unusual (for the time) harmonic modulations, syncopated rhythms, and many instances when the recorder and continuo instruments either mirror or echo each other. Not to mention the innovative twists and technical demands assigned the recorder player.

Recorder and jazz-saxophone player Andreas Bohlen makes short work of these technical hurdles and plays each and every phrase with musical panache and expressive acuity. Notes in the lower register come out clean and the highest notes circumvent stridency, and there's always a bouncy agility in the quickest passages. Michael Hell (harpsichord), Daniel Rosin (baroque cello) and Pietro Prosser (lute), provide exceptional support and when called upon assume a leading role without missing a beat. The audio recording, offered in Hybrid-SACD, is of the highest standards with ideal ensemble balance. This release shows that it's high time for a resurgence of interest in the music of Giuseppe Sammartini.