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Title: I really wanted to like this recording...
Review: ...but I hated it. I'm a professional flutist and I've studied these pieces for thirty years. I always feel a little insecure about "proper performance practice" in view of our "enlightened", post-Saul Leibovitz "how did they really do it in the 18th century?" musically fascist world. So, who better to go to than Leonhardt and his Dutch buddy Frans Brüggen for a refresher course on how the Bach Sonatas REALLY go? One problem - I couldn't stand the playing. Fey, limp, self-indulgent stuff. This is the kind of playing that has given Early Music Performance Practice a very, very bad name in some circles. Yuck. I find it disgusting. Check out Janet See or Lisa Beznosiuk. Best of all I think is Julius Baker's ancient modern instrument version.
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