Exhilarating music from the Golden Age. Or, how a single recorder might surprise even a 21st-century audience with its virtuosity.
Jacob van Eyck Esquire was a contemporary of Rembrandt’s. Unlike the famous painter he mainly resided in Utrecht, city of many churches in the centre of The Netherlands. At the time the blind composer and city carillonneur was also well-known for his improvised virtuoso recorder playing.
As such he was quite an unusual phenomenon. Even now some three and a half centuries later one can sense the breathtaking qualities of his music from Der Fluyten Lust-hof, The flute’s garden of delight’. This collection of Dutch music consists of a variety of pieces, mainly series of variations on psalms and popular songs: almost 150 in all.
On this release, young Dutch recorder player Erik Bosgraaf tackles a selection of 65 works from Van Eyck’s opus. Playing on (copies of) period instruments he treats this music freely almost suggesting improvisation on the spot. A truly outstanding recording debut by a musician who has already left his mark on recorder performance.
Other information:
- English booklet available for download by clicking on 'Download booklet' below the cover.
