Word: fluted
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...sound, richer in harmonics than their modern counterparts. The string choir resembles a group of soloists rather than the modern symphony's big, anonymous cushion of sound. The woodwinds are changed from the way we know them: the oboes and bassoons, like the strings, are sharper and brighter; the flute is much softer. The brass is an entirely different world. The baroque trumpet, producing notes only by the natural overtone series without the aid of valves, has a brilliant, searing sound. All in all, the baroque orchestra is a gathering of strikingly individual voices, quite the opposite of the contemporary...
...astounding. The two bourrees of Suite No. 2 are usually done at one tempo. Harnoncourt easily could have selected what he considered the optimum tempo for a bourree and simply plunged through both of them with metronomical precision. Instead, he slows down the second bourree, allowing the solo flute to come out--and then returns to the opening tempo in the da capo. In the extensive program notes that come with the two discs, Harnoncourt explains this by characterizing one bouree as stuermische and the other as delikate; and he plays them accordingly...
...Second Suite, essentially a concerto for baroque flute, is the masterpiece of the four. Leopold Stastny, the soloist, is a phenomenal player: his pitch is dead accurate. He complements subtle shadings of tone and fine techniques with beautiful phrasing that never is broken in awkward moments for breathing. The supremely beautiful moment of the Suite is the Double of the Polonaise: the theme of the Polonaise appears in the bass (played as if a solo part by Harnoncourt himself) with an incredibly florid counterpoint in the flute part. The beauty and care taken by Harnoncourt in his accompaniment is outstanding...
...furor brought an unwelcome influx of journalists, whom the opportunistic local fishermen charged $280 per round trip from a Tasmanian port. But now the interest has ebbed, and Jane has been left alone to write poems and start work on a book, play the flute and dive for crayfish and abalone to supplement her diet of cereal, canned goods and homegrown vegetables...
...suite that is better know than Prokofiev's. When the Prokofiev version (second suite, opus 64) begins, it comes as quite a shock. The very extremes of range and timbre are called for, and once again the orchestra responded well. All the solo playing was very good, particularly from flute, harp, piano, and saxophone. Pitch was excellent, including the bizarre but effective ending with contrabassoon and piccoio...