This is a well-chosen programme of sonatas by Biber and Muffat. Biber is represented by four pieces from his 1676 collection Sonatae tam aris quam aulis servientes (''Sonatas intended for use both at the altar and at court''), Muffat by two sonatas, suites to all intents and purposes, from a set of five published in 1682 under the title Armonico tributo. All this music, by the way, has been previously recorded by the Parley of Instruments on two Hyperion discs.
For sheer elan, the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra Consort come out comfortably on top. Their playing has an effective bite to it, the rhythms are taut and the sonorities rewarding. In the Biber, above all, the instrumentalists seem fired by the music's fantasy and by the composer's irresistible feeling for dance measures. Messrs Goodman and Holman with the Parley of Instruments do not achieve quite the same degree of virtuosity, nor do they realize Biber's often exotic effects to an extent comparable with the Freiburg contingent. But where I do prefer the Hyperion discs to this newcomer is in the use of a plucked string continuo instrument, a theorbo in each instance, and in the varied use of harpsichord and organ. The Freiburg group engages a harpsichord throughout and limits the remaining continuo instruments to a cello and double-bass. I must also add that both the Biber and Muffat collections are of a calibre that make me want to hear all the pieces contained therein, and not just some of them. But, as I say, the selection here has been well made and includes some of the most interesting Biber sonatas as well as the concluding sonata of Muffat's set with its extended Passacaglia. The other one included here, incidentally, contains the aria which Handel borrowed for the concluding movement of his Organ Concerto in G minor (Op. 4 No. 3) and which both here and elsewhere he made so distinctly his own. No finer tribute than that of Muffat was paid jointly to Corelli and Lully until Couperin penned his great Apotheoses.
In conclusion, this is an entertaining programme, stylishly played and excellently recorded. Biber and Muffat heavies will require the complete sets but readers who spread their affections more evenly are likely to be captivated by this anthology. Recommended.'