Review: "PACHELBELS' GERMANY" performed by Salute!, with Hans-Dieter Michatz - Baroque flute and recorder, and guests. Kings Hall, Old Parliament House, Friday March 14 1997. Reviewed by TONY MAGEE

Salute! is a Baroque Trio featuring Sally Melhuish on recorder, Tim Blomfield on baroque cello and Luke Green on harpsichord. This concert also featured special guest Hans-Dieter Michatz on baroque flute and recorder with further augmentation by Baroque violinists Julie Hewison, Lorraine Moxley and Madeleine Easton.

The music and the playing were both delightful and in the acoustics of Kings Hall the whole concert was really quite serene and sublime. 

In particular, Baroque flute and recorder player Hans-Dieter Michatz was outstanding - his tone, phrasing and embellishments all first rate. 

The program featured of course Pachelbel's Canon and Gigue in D, played at a somewhat brisker tempo than I am used to hearing it, but this added a certain charm, particularly to the Canon section. The recorders made their entrance with the Sinfonia in F by Fux, which was enjoyable and then the first of the more substantial works for the evening - Telemann's Introduzzione a tre in C, scored for two recorders, two violins and continuo (which in this case, as for all the pieces on the program, was simply harpsichord and cello - simple but highly effective). 

In this piece, all parts came through with great individual clarity as well as retaining an appropriate ensemble balance. The recorders in particular, whilst complementing each other, also portrayed interesting contrasts in tone and development of sound. Hans Dieter Michatz favours a precise and tightly tongued sound with precise pitching and clear singing tone. Sally Melhuish on the other hand chose a more breathy sound, with very light, if not sometimes absent, tonguing which results in a totally different approach to pitching and phrasing. An interesting contrast, which combined with the Baroque string players resulted in a typical but also unique "early music" sound - ie: very different to our slick 20th century made instruments used in many orchestras and ensembles today.

Other pieces in the program included the Trio Sonata in B flat by J.S. Bach and another work by Telemann, his Concerto in E minor. Here we were treated to Hans-Dieter Michatz's superb playing on the Baroque flute, (played transversely, but made of wood). Wooden flutes are fairly soft, but the sound of this one came through nicely and with fine playing from the other members of the ensemble, made for a charming conclusion to a most enjoyable concert.

Originally published in Muse Magazine (Canberra), April 1997