 Le label tchèque Supraphon, jadis célèbre pour ses innombrables enregistrements de musiques post-classiques, romantiques, voire contemporaines, semble s’orienter avec bonheur vers la musique baroque. Le présent CD, consacré à des œuvres pour flûte et/ou clavecin de Haendel et Leclair est astucieusement articulé autour de la princesse de Hanovre (1709-1759), elle-même excellente musicienne et protectrice des arts. Si les Suites pour clavecin de Georg Friedrich Haendel sont relativement connues, les Sonates de Jean-Marie Leclair le sont nettement moins : leur alternance permet d’éviter la monotonie. Certains morceaux sont particulièrement bien interprétés, tel cet arrangement pour deux flûtes - réalisé par Michel Blavet - du célèbre Harmonieux Forgeron (originellement pour clavecin) : la flûtiste Jana Semerádov démontre son époustouflante technique en l’interprétant à elle seule, en re-recording : chapeau bas ! Quant à la brillante Passacaille en sol mineur et à la Chaconne inédite transcrite pour clavecin seul à partir de la Sérénade vocale Parnasso in festa, elles dénotent un Haendel imaginatif et vivant. Un disque bienvenu à plus d’un titre. (Jean-Paul Lécot) During the Baroque era, taking music and art lessons was an integral part of education of children in royal families. Anne, Princess of Orange (1709-1759), the eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain, was fortunate in having excellent teachers. At the age of five, she moved from her native city of Hanover to London, where for eleven years her musical talent was cultivated by G. F. Handel, a celebrated composer and keyboard virtuoso. Handel dedicated a number of his works to the Princess (among them the wedding serenade Parnasso in festa), while other, highly popular, pieces of his were arranged, including by the virtuoso flautist Michel Blavet. Following her wedding and departure from London, Anne no longer took harpsichord lessons, yet at the court in The Hague, her new home, she remained faithful to the Muses and surrounded herself with excellent artists. For a few years, the court employed the superb violinist and Kapellmeister Jean-Marie Leclair, who dedicated to Anne his fourth book of solo sonatas. In the case of some of them, he mentioned – to the delight of all flautists – the possibility of their being performed by “flûte allemande” as an alternative instrument. As a soloist, the flautist Jana Semerádová has worked with distinguished early music specialists (S. Azzolini, A. Bernardini, E. Onofri, etc.) and has performed at major festivals (Utrecht, Leipzig, Halle, Versailles, Sablé, Regensburg, etc.). Erich Traxler is an outstanding soloist and chamber player, who has appeared at the most renowned concert venues worldwide. Princess Anne’s remarkable musical story is the intersection of the stories of the two exceptional musicians.
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