Origins: Works for Recorder by Lucie Horsch
Move over jazz flute, there’s a new player in town – jazz recorder! Honestly, if you had described the premise of this album to me, I probably would have politely nodded and backed away slowly. But holy moly would I have been wrong! Charlie Parker played on recorder is a revelation. The Piazzolla pieces are captivating, the traditional Shaker song ‘Simple Gifts’ is glorious, and Bartók’s Folk Dances are a bit of a mind-bending experience.
Lucie Horsch is changing the game for recorder playing in this new album on Decca, with all the works presented rooted in folk cultures from around the world. In my first listen to this album, I kept jumping around, eager to see what amazing arrangement would be next. How would Horsch use the extensive timbres available to recorders? What blend of instruments would be used to ground the work in its original folk setting?
At only 22 years old, Dutch-born Horsch received her first national recognition at age nine and started taking to the world stages not long after. Throughout the entirety of this album, I was completely and utterly blown away by the beauty of her sound and stunning ability to stay in tune at all times. At no point did this album disappoint. Did it surprise instead? Yes absolutely, but always with great charm.
