Michael Form, Dirk Börner, Melanie Flahaut & Delphine Biron - Vivaldiana: Venetian Flute Music (2011)

Despite Vivaldi’s impressive output of highly demanding solo concertos for 'flauto' or 'flautino' only one single sonata has survived. Nevertheless there is an overwhelming quantity of music which already was subject of many transformations during the famous “Red Priest’s” time. Traces of Vivaldi’s concertos, violin sonatas and even sacred music can be found in a collection of Six Sonatas by Ignazio Sieber, a German oboe and flute teacher at the Ospedale della Pietà. Other Venetian composers are included in this album: Albinoni’s Sonate da chiesa Opus 4 is a forgery similar to Vivaldi’s Il pastor fido which gives way to further alterations. Although Benedetto Marcello composed twelve original sonatas in order to satisfy the appetite of the steadily increasing circle of northern European recorder aficionados, a thirteenth sonata which does not have to defer to the market requirements of eighteenth century amateurs, emerged. Together with Vivaldi’s virtuoso Trio for recorder and bassoon and Veracini’s expressive Sonata Sesta, Michael Form, flutist, and Dirk Börner, harpsichordist, have created a fascinating panorama where the borderline between original, transcription, improvisation and likely post-Vivaldi era music are floating, in a very baroque manner denying the romantic idea of opus absolutum.

Michael Form and Dirk Börner, with Melanie Flahaut, bassoon and Delphine Biron, violoncello offer an adventure in exploring new avenues when it comes to recreating Venetian sonatas for recorder and basso continuo.