Echoes Of My Childhood

"There's a sentimental premise behind Daniel Müller-Schott's latest release, and he's candid about it: the harpsichord heard throughout - a Neupert after Blanchet - is the very instrument his mother played during his childhood. Indeed, he calls the album 'a kind of inner homecoming'. What might have stayed private thus becomes an animating virtue: a shared joy in which Irina Zahharenkova and continuo cellist Anderson Fiorelli partake of Müller-Schott's memories made music.

The two Boccherini sonatas are the heart of it. In the C major (G6), Müller-Schott's mellow tone and legato shape an opening Allegro of real poise; the central Largo finds a genuine tenderness - Fiorelli's support lending warmth, even cosiness - and the finale dances with robust elegance. The A major (G4) here is all rococo grace with a rustic burr. The Geminiani is just as winning: fresh and light at the outset, crisply dancelike in its Allegro, crowned by a jaunty finale of marvellous ensemble, embellishments growing effortlessly from the melodic line over Zahharenkova's rich voicings." Gramophone Bookmark recording