Alla Turca

Thiele, Nora; Borutzki, Simon; Berliner Blockflöten Orchester

For centuries, European composers have looked towards the Orient and captured their imagination in music. Recorded by the Berliner Blockfloten Orchester, ‘Alla Turca’ makes audible not only the musical diversity of such Western representations of the Orient, but also the manifold timbral facets of the recorder. Well-known works such as Mozart’s ‘Rondo alla Turca’ stand alongside unfamiliar gems. Resplendent marches are contrasted with gentle Oriental idylls. Contemporary depictions are juxtaposed with Baroque perspectives. On their journey to the Orient, listeners encounter Jean-Baptiste Lully, Giuseppe Verdi, and Gioachino Rossini, as well as Julius Weissenborn, Ernest Richard Kroeger, and Reynaldo Hahn. Soren Sieg’s commissioned work ‘Jabal Ram’ deserves special mention amongst this colourful company: it is the disc’s only piece that was written for a recorder orchestra. All other compositions were originally written for piano, organ, or even the bassoon, or formed part of stage works. With meticulous care, Simon Borutzki has arranged these works for recorders. His bespoke arrangements enable the Berliner Blockfloten Orchester to present the diversity of recorder music to full effect — ranging from soft heights to unexpectedly warm depths. The orchestra’s sound is enriched by percussionist Nora Thiele. In some cases, her performances are improvised responses to a given work’s atmosphere, offering the ideal complement to the Oriental marches and dances of ‘Alla Turca’.

Price: $27.98