Emma Kirkby is a musicianI have long respected,not just for the purity andquality of her voice butalso her beautiful sense ofmusicianship. In this newrelease with the London Baroque shefocuses on the compositions of Frenchman Michel Pignolet de Monteclair (1667–1737). I must profess myself to have onlyjust discovered him, however with the firstbrilliant violin chords I was hooked. By thetime Kirkby’s soaring voice joined thebright and startlingly joyous harpsichord Iwas thrilled to have discovered a newcomposer to add to my library. There arefive cantatas of varying sacred and secularnature that each tell a story that will allowyou to while away a very enjoyable afternoon.