Album: Maurice Steger, Una Follia di Napooli 1725 (Harmonia Mundi)

Recorder virtuoso Steger captures the intense piety and sensuality of Baroque Naples in music drawn largely from a 1725 manuscript.

This was the year of Alessandro Scarlatti's death – his Improvisation upon the Partite "Follia di Spagna" is included – and the year flautist J J Quantz inspired a generation of Neapolitan composers. Steger strikes a delicate balance between technical dazzle and deep musicality, accompanied by a hand-picked ensemble.