Biber, Telemann, Graupner, Bach, Milandre, Petzold

Hélène Plouffe, viola d'amore with supporting artists

analekta AN 2 9959

A wholly delightful, and very personal, disc - a labour of love from Montreal to feature the viola of love (with its sympathetic strings) in all its glory.

The repertoire explores it in chamber music, oratorio and solo.

The production is thorough and perfect, with Hélène Plouffe's memoire of the whole project on line, describing how she invoked the collaboration of colleagues and friends to superb result.

I have one small criticism; she should have been bold enough to start the listing with the solo items by Milandre and Petzold, to give listeners the feel of the instrument's unique sonorities on its own. That is the way you should play the CD (listen to the whole of Milandre's Ah que l'amour generously streamed on the Analekta site).

Very strong recommendation, a disc to treasure in anyone's baroque collection. And what a rarely witty cover image too !

Peter Grahame Woolf