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Molter: Ouvertüre, Sinfonia und Concerti

Forgotten Treasures Vol. 12
Anna Besson flute, Christopher Palameta oboe, Javier Zafra bassoon, Catherin Martin violin, Vladimir Waltham cello, Kölner Akademie, Michael Alexander Willens
TT
Ars Production 4 260052 382523

Sandwiched between a Sinfonia (MWV 7.13) and an Ouverture (3.5) there are five three-movement concertos very much “in the Vivaldian style” – one each for flute, oboe, bassoon, cello and violin, and all of them putting the soloists through his or her paces, as well as demonstrating the broad palette of Molter’s output. The second movement of his only cello concerto, for example, starts with just the soloist and continuo but the upper strings join at the first major cadence with a sequence of suspensions. After the Ouverture proper come a menuet, a rondo and then an exhilirating gigue that brings this charming and entertaining recording to a close. The group is the ultimate in minimalism with only two violins and one cello, but it is so neatly recorded in a clean acoustic that it feels ideal. Despite his prodigious output, Molter is not just “another German composer of the Baroque”; this is fine music, excellently performed and perfectly captured on tape – a very highly recommended recording.

Brian Clark