FOUR STAR REVIEW
FROM GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE
The Awards Issue 2004

HANDEL FLUTE AND HARPSICHORD SONATAS

"A STREAM OF HANDELIAN IDEAS
GIVEN THEIR FULL DUE BY THIS NIMBLE DUO!"
Seven apparently is a lucky number  even where Handel is concerned. He composed just so many sonatas for flute and harpsichord, each of them a delectable mix of dance and lyrical movements.

Listening in one sitting to such a bounty of pieces turns out to be no hardship, at least as performed by flautist, Laurel Zucker, and harpsichordist, Robin Sutherland.

Here the musicians aware of period style who don't insist on dogmatic ideas about phrasing, articulation and only in the case of the flute, vibrato. themes seem to pour from these sonatas like water in a brook, both bubbling and gentle. Everything sounds fresh and inevitable.

Zucker and Sutherland provide expressive impetus whether Handel is sprightly, aristocratic or poetic. The flautist applies tonal lustre when needed, while lalso ightening deftly as the music shifts into reflective gear. Sutherland is very collegial and crisp.

Gramophone Magazine  - Awards Issue 2004   Donald Rosenberg

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"She shapes phrases and dynamics eloquently to turn her performances into highly individual statements. Of the seven sonatas presented here, a highlight is the Sonata in F major, with its joyfully dancing allegro sections. Zucker frames them beautifully by burnishing the slower lines of the larghetto and siciliana that separate them. Zucker's mastery should come as no surprise. She has built a fine international career as a performer, teacher and composer. Among her more visible projects is a role as a featured performer on PBS television's Arts Alive."
MILWAUKEE JOURNAL 1995

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"Top CDs from works of Handel...Zucker and Sutherland are players who value buoyancy, color and tasteful embellishments. The program is appealing and well recorded."
SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER 1995

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"Four Stars....It should no longer be news that Laurel Zucker, the widely known concert artist is an extraordinary flutist- not just a master technician but a thinking, feeling musician of power."
William Glackin, SACRAMENTO BEE 1993

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"Laurel Zucker is a fine flutist with a full lovely sound.The Handel Sonatas are nicely performed, the fast movements brisk, lively, and expertly articulated, the slow movements flowing, beautifully phrased and tastefully ornamented...Robin Sutherland is the fine accompanist and this recording can be recommended..."
FANFARE MAGAZINE 1994

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"This is classical music at is very zenith of enjoyment and perfection..."BLOGCRITICS.ORG [Rated 10/10]
2004. [Read full review]

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"With each listen to the Sonatas (30 in total) presented on this breathtaking CD, I became more entranced and charmed with their elegance..."EVOLVINGARTIST.COM [Evolution Scale 9.5/10]
2004. [Read full review]

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BUZZLE.COM [Rated 10/10]
2004. [Read full review]

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DMUSIC.COM [Rated 10/10]
2004. [Read full review]

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MUSIC-SITES.NET REVIEW
2004. [Read full review]

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