The Loeki Files 1978-2008: K.van Steenhoven, A.Holborne, J.S.Bach, Shostakovich, etc / Amsterdam Loeki Stardust Quartet ［CD+DVD］

The Amsterdam Loeki Stardust Quartet is a recorder quartet formed in 1978 by a group of students at the Amsterdam Conservatory. Of an adventurous disposition from the start, the group took its name from a Dutch commercial featuring a figure named Loeki the Lion, whose theme song the group liked to append improvisationally to Renaissance instrumental pieces. It went on to do things like performing Stevie Wonder songs at early music competitions and cultivated a slightly hip image (at least within an early music context) that helped it embark on a durable career of concertizing and recording. The group spawned a modest revival in recorder quartet music, and they set a repertoire pattern that included works from the medieval era to the twentieth century. The Loeki Files is an anthology of the group's work, at least as recorded on the Channel Classics label (which, from an engineering point of view, was an ideal home for the quartet). The recordings for L'Oiseau-Lyre and Decca are not included, but the group does close out the program with a pair of bonus radio performances recorded in Belgium im 1981; these (especially the anonymous Estampia Tre Fontane, track 14) capture the fearless quality of the quartet in its infancy. The main program is drawn from the group's earlier releases, as selected -- three to five pieces each -- by group members themselves. This effectively translates into booklet notes that capture the creative currents responsible for making the group such a success. Other groups have followed the ALSQ into organ-like versions of music by Bach and other Baroque composers, but the contemporary pieces remain strikingly fresh. Hear Loud (track 11), by Italian Steve Reich disciple Fulvio Caldini (to which the group has devoted an entire album, Fade Control). The subtlety of the various recorder attacks enhances the minimalist textures in a unique way. The mastering unites the diverse recordings into a coherent sonic whole. For anyone looking for an introduction to this group, or to contemporary recorder music in general, this release makes an excellent place to start. The accompanying DVD includes concerts, and an interview, and various other archival materials.