Michala Petri
Michala Petri
English Recorder Concertos
Our Recordings
This recording, the first commercial release by the Hong Kong City Chamber Orchestra, is a significant addition to the recorder-concerto genre that puts the local group on the classical music map.
The highlight of the hour-long disc is Richard Harvey's Concerto Incantato, commissioned and premiered in 2009 for the group's 10th anniversary. With Dane Michala Petri showcasing her virtuosity as 'queen of the recorder', the five-movement work couldn't sound better, even in the hands of the original cast. Warmly tonal and listener-friendly, the new opus offers a fresh timbre as with the dream-like opening and the English folk theme and dance in the finale.
The same upbeat quality applies to the other two recorder concertos. Sir Malcolm Arnold's 1988 work features sharp contrasts in mood, from the witty opening to the pensive slow movement, concluding with a marching rhythm which allows the soloist to show off the double-tonguing technique.
Gordon Jacob's seven-movement suite, dated 1957, is another neglected gem, and evokes the idyllic quality of bygone days. The German pressing of this CD provides superb sound in the notorious acoustics at the Cultural Centre concert hall.
