Andrea Oliva - Angela Hewitt BACH Flute Sonatas

Andrea Oliva has been described by Sir James Galway as “one of the best flautists of his generation”. So when Hyperion matched him with the label’s megastar Angela Hewitt for this recording of six of Bach’s solo flute sonatas, the results were bound to be special.

And special they are, from the flowing and elegant piano introduction to the E-flat BWV1031 that opens the disc, to the bubbling finale of the B Minor Sonata, the most popular work of the set. This is a recording that deserves high rotation – repeated visits will yield a trove of treasures from two performers whose styles meld together perfectly, whether it’s in the simple Siciliana from the E-Flat Sonata, surely one of the loveliest little tunes by Bach, or Oliva’s prodigious breath control and faultless fingering in the rapid-fire runs of the BWV1033 Allegro.

There is still doubt about the provenance of some of the seven flute sonatas attributed to Johann Sebastian. It’s now generally accepted that the G Minor BWV1020 – featured on this disc – was in fact written by his son Carl Philipp Emanuel, who certainly made copies of the works. (One that he attributes to his father, the C Minor also on this disc, survives in his own hand.) Other scholars believe that one of Bach the elder’s pupils may have contributed to the keyboard part of the C Minor piece. Bach’s life and works remain a rich source of speculation for academics: witness the recent theory that the Cello Suites may have been composed by Bach’s wife Anna Magdalena, not merely copied out by her. 

Whatever the case, do we really care? The music speaks for itself in all its glory. And these sonatas show the composer at his most engaging, always challenging the performer but at the same time delighting the listener. Hewitt fans – and they are legion – will be delighted at her return to Bach. Her monumental journey through his keyboard works has rightly been described as “one of the record glories of our age”.

It’s interesting to compare this recording with a recent re-release on the same label of English flautist Lisa Beznosiuk’s complete 2002 set, featuring harpsichord and cello accompaniment. That excellent recording has an air of authenticity, whereas the Oliva/Hewitt musical offering breathes freshness and exciting possibilities. It’s the difference between entering a museum and walking into an art gallery. 

(Limelight Magazine)