Baroque violinist
Rachel Podger
always delivers fresh recordings, often of little-known repertory, but with this release, which made classical best-seller lists in the spring of 2024, she outdoes herself. Where to begin? The structure of the program is novel, beginning with
Handel
's
Violin Sonata in D major, HWV 371
, and looking back from that into the 17th century.
Podger
illustrates how much there still is to find in this repertory, with unknown works such as the
Lachrimae
of
Johann Schop
(a gorgeous, brooding take on this famous genre) and a medley of folkish Irish and Scottish tunes in which
Francesco Geminiani
comes out sounding like a dyed-in-the-kilt Scot. The (somewhat) better-known composers get their due as well.
Matthew Locke
Little Consort in Two Parts for Severall Friends
is a delightful piece of chamber music, and
William Lawes
'
Fantasia-Suite No. 8 in D major
contains some radical moves to match the reliably innovative
John Blow
; sample
Lawes
' second-movement Almaine "La Goutte" with its high pedal point sounding like some kind of idée fixe.
's backing from the ensemble
Brecon Baroque
is sterling, and the group offers some wonderful instrumental sounds (sample the little organ in the first movement on the
). Best of all here is
's playing, which is fetching, lyrical, even funny occasionally, and technically spot on; it fully convinces the listener that the music was, in
's words, "a riotous joy to play." The only thing to question here is
Channel Classics
' church sound, which is too brilliant and spacious for music that is intimate in the best sense. However, it is clear enough, and it is a small price to pay for a terrific selection of works flawlessly played. ~ James Manheim