Many recorder consorts suffer from imbalance, dubious intonation, and a tendency for the pitch of sustained notes to sag, with mournful overall effect. No such ill afflict the Amsterdam Loeki Stardust Quartet (hereafter the ALSQ), here making their recorded debut, for which one is particularly grateful in the opening Fantasie of the Locke and in the equally beautiful In Nomine of Gibbons (his only four-part consort work). The Vivaldi concerto is the only arrangement, all the other items are orignal four-part consort music that is for the most part new to the catalogue—and most welcome to it. The notes adequately explain the provenance of the items, except that of Robert Johnson's whimsical The temporiser: this comes from a set of four consort part-books and though it bears no indication of tempo the music suggests a slower pace than that of the ALSQ's happy romp; a few 'whooped' notes are 'unauthentic', part of the fun, but the clipped delivery isn't—that's the way it's written! The programme as a whole is a happy juxtaposition of different styles and paces, calculated (as is the music itself) to keep the attention firmly gripped.
Superlatives are hazardous in reviewing: something even better may arrive tomorrow—and they become humbler comparatives. Nevertheless, I can't resist describing this as an absolute 'must', whether you are a lover of the fipple flute or not. Virtuosity, coupled with musicality, is not uncommon among solo recorder players, but with ensembles—and at this level, it is rare indeed. With first-rate sound in both LP and CD formats, and a decent playing time of almost 51 minutes, this is a stunning record. '