"...Performed by incomparable instrumental soloist Michala Petri and the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong under the direction of conductor Jean Thorel, these varied pieces demonstrate the range of once-maligned woodwind. From the dramatic opening of Harvey’s Concerto Incanto through the pastoral meanderings of Jacob’s Suite for Recorder and Strings, this is the music of European myth and history. Recommended."

 

Chris Morgan - Scene magazine (UK) - September 2012

 

"What a lovely disc this is! This is a collection of three English recorder concertos by Malcolm Arnold, Gordon Jacob, and Richard Harvey…Petri is asked to play several different recorders throughout, from tenor to sopranino. The recorders are accompanied by a delicate orchestra, consisting of strings, flutes, clarinets, harp, celesta, and percussion. As the movement titles suggest, this is elfin, magical music.I have to confess it: I’ve loved every Michala Petri CD that has come my way, and it is too late to turn back now. She offers proof—if proof were needed—that the recorder transcends its schoolhouse associations by producing sounds that are both uncommonly plangent and sweet. Her many fans might be reluctant to duplicate the Arnold and Jacob works, but Harvey’s concerto is a most enjoyable discovery, and so there’s really nothing to do but to go out and purchase this CD as well!"

Raymond Tuttle - Fanfare - September 2012

"...A highly recommended CD that will not only delight recorder fans, but will also appeal to a wide audience!"

 

Heinz Braun - Klassik Heute (Germany) - June 2012

"Danish recorder player Michala Petri has commissioned a number of works, including the Malcolm Arnold and Richard Harvey concertos heard here. She has executed this process intelligently, eliciting works that not only display her nonpareil technical skills but also reflect on the connotations a recorder carries in a modern setting. The Harvey concerto contains some of the conventions of neo-Renaissance writing, but sets them against both the extreme virtuosity of the solo part and the "incantations" of the title; if not exactly spiritual, it’s a fresh and utterly accessible work. The short concerto by Arnold is one of the slight but luminous works of his old age. The Suite for recorder and strings of Gordon Jacob, composed in 1957, was commissioned by recorder revivalist Carl Dolmetsch. Its language was in no way restricted by the amateur ethos of the mid-century recorder revival, with hints of jazz present both rhythmically and harmonically and a solo part that yields nothing to the other two works. Petri is icily superb throughout, but the real pleasure here is in the music, not simply the mechanics."

 

James Manheim - All Music Guide.com - June 2012

"In November 2010 this site mentioned a superb recording of Chinese recorder concertos played by Michala Petri. Now we have another terrific recording by this remarkable artist, on a new label, OUR Recordings. It is a total delight in every way, featuring three generations of English composers. Richard Harvey (b. 1953) has written music for many films. His Concerto Incantato written in 2009 for Petri is a delightful 5-movement suite. Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006) wrote his concerto in 1988 for Petri, and it is given a stunning performance (this is Petri’s third recording of it). A delightful close to the program is the Suite for Recorder and Strings composed in 1957 by Gordon Jacob (1896-1984), 7-movements ending with a dazzling Tarantella. Petri is in top form, the orchestra is wonderful, audio excellent if not particularly "surround." A quality issue, highly recommended!"

 

Robert Benson - ClassicalCDReview.com - April 2012

"...This is one of the best CDs of recorder music that I have ever heard. Full stop."

 

John France - MusicWeb-International.com - June 2012

"This is possibly the best of Michala Petri’s many recordings ..."

 

Peter Grahame Woolf - Musical Pointers - March 2012