Affetti & Plaisirs | 30 Years of Barocchisti

Maurice Steger, a native of Graubünden, is often referred to as the “Paganini of the recorder” because of his highly virtuosic playing. In his latest program, he explores emotional states and the sensual pleasure of music. The 18th-century theory of the affects taught composers how to express emotions such as love and hate, or joy and pain, through specific intervals, keys, harmonies, or contrapuntal sequences.

The recorder played a special role in this context. It was highly regarded at the royal courts and was considered a particularly refined instrument. Georg Philipp Telemann, who played the recorder himself, composed a series of highly virtuosic masterpieces for this instrument. In his Overture Suite in A minor, breathtaking solo passages blend with French elegance.

Giovanni Battista Sammartini of Milan composed a brilliant work for the smallest instrument in the recorder family with his Flautino Concerto. In Bach’s 5th Brandenburg Concerto, the harpsichord takes center stage and, with its virtuosic solo performance, transcends its role as an accompanying instrument.

Vivaldi, too—who, because of his red hair, was known to many simply as the “prete rosso” (the “red priest”)- composed not only numerous violin concertos but also highly virtuosic flute concertos during his tenure as a violin and voice teacher at an orphanage in Venice, the Ospedale della Pietà. The concerto in G major demands sophisticated breathing techniques and a healthy dose of enthusiasm.