Maurice Steger
A | EE
Reviews

The Telegraph, Ivan Hewett | 6 April 2011
Recorder player Maurice Steger provided the "wow" factor in this concert.
[...] Anyone who thinks the recorder is fit only for school assemblies would have been forced to think again by Steger's amazing virtuosity, which somehow soared over the instruments limitations.
[...] emerges as a barely audible bird-like twittering, but Steger made it so crystal-clear that it pushes through the orchestral sound without difficulty.
This offered the "wow" factor, but more striking was the way Steger draped expressive ornaments over the melodies of the slow movement, creating a luxuriant melancholy at each dying fall by leaning on the dissonant notes.

Fono Forum, Norbert Hornig | August 2010 „Star of the Month“ for "Mr. Corelli in London"-CD
(...) one of the best recordings of recorder music in recent years!

Independent on Sunday | Anna Picard
OUTSTANDING Recorder virtuoso Steger's latest recital traces the history of the Corelli cult of Georgian London, Edinburgh and Manchester. Adored for its simplicity by gentleman amateurs, orchestrated by Geminiani and flamboyantly decorated by professional soloists (usually violinists), Corelli's music outlived its creator, dressed up or down according to taste and ability. Steger's performance is a thrilling hybrid, dazzlingly embellished yet pure and true of tone. The English Concert match Steger's élan, with glorious solos from the ensemble.

Sunday Times | Stephen Pettitt
Steger’s playing is unfailingly seductive; the English Concert under Cummings is equally delectable.

Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Jürg Huber | 29.10.2009
Sparkling with inspiration, Steger has created something with his orchestra that is simply captivating. The performance was so dynamic and colourful, so rich in tones that one was sure to be attending a baroque ensemble concert. The amazing listening experience was continued with an intimate duet between oboe and violin in Concerto Grosso Op. 3 No. 1 in B-flat major. The appearance of a butterfly over the musicians’ heads at the beginning of the evening, random though it was, fit the airy brilliance of the concert perfectly. And of course the butterfly made another appearance when Steger re-entered the stage after the intermission with his recorder. Examples of his astonishing skills, combining touches of lightness with intense expression, were first heard in a joint performance with two other recorders of Henry Purcell’s Chaconne in F Major. Steger then proceeded with the rendition of a piece by Francesco Gemiani, displaying a sensuous longing on an exquisite fabric of sound performed by harpsichord, theorbo, viol and double bass. Finally, the evening concluded with virtuosic bravura and Giuseppe Sammartini’s Concerto in F Major.

Le Devoir/Christophe Huss | 28.12.2010
Les concerts des Violons du Roy se bousculaient au portillon pour faire partie de ce palmarès. Celui avec Marie-Nicole Lemieux en septembre et le Vivaldi-Haydn de décembre étaient d'excellents candidats, mais nous avons choisi celui du «Matsuev de la flûte à bec», Maurice Steger. Au-delà de la musique, une véritable sorcellerie.

Le Devoir/Christophe Huss, Montréal | 16.06.10
Le 2e mouvement et les staccatos du Finale de Telemann, l'Allegro ultime du Vivaldi, la Gigue et la Gavotte de Geminiani ont été des moments que l'on regarde et écoute, incrédule. Dans le second volet du concerto de Telemann, notamment, Steger m'a rappelé les ressources insoupçonnées des plus grands flûtistes balinais, adeptes e la respiration circulaire, mais dans un répertoire nécessitant un tonus et des attaques dont ces derniers n'ont pas solliciter. Mieux vaut ne pas chercher à savoir comment Steger fait pour parvenir à ces sommets. En profiter suffit à notre bonheur!

Le Soleil/Jean-Philippe Côté- Angers, Québec | 15.6.10
La rigueur de sa technique, en fait, contraste joyeusement avec la présence bon enfant qu'il offre sur scène, et confère à son instrument une noblesse à la hauteur de ce qu'on attend normalement des instruments à cordes, mais pas toujours de l'instrument champêtre par excellence. lire plus


CD Mr. Corelli in London


Fanfare/Alan Swanson (2010-11-05)
Steger is a wonderfully deft player, with absolute clarity of note an line, even in the most
virtuosic variations, of which there are many. Nonetheless, one of the most interesting pieces
comes at the very end of the disc, when ... he plays the gentle variations by Jacques or James
Paisible upon the Sarabande of the original sonata. This is a large-scaled ground-bass piece
that increases in intensity as it goes along, without giving way to the flashy cascades that are
a feature of most of the rest of the pieces.

musica Dei donum/Johan van Veen Nov. 2010
This is a very interesting disc which delivers a considerable addition to our knowledge of the
popularity and dissemination of Corelli's oeuvre through Europe. The performances are
generally excellent, and in particular Maurice Steger is impressive in his performances of the
recorder parts. The way he realises the arrangement by Blavet is quite astonishing. ...The
booklet contains programme notes as well as a list of the sources of the music on this disc.
The members of the English Concert are listed with a specification of the instruments they
play. This deserves much applause. It has to be noted that the titles of the 'concerti' are not
historical, but invented for this disc. I don't know about the titles of the other two pieces.
To sum it up: this is an exciting disc, not just for recorder aficionados.

Independent on Sunday by Anna Picard 11.4.10
OUTSTANDING Recorder virtuoso Steger's latest recital traces the history of the Corelli cult of
Georgian London, Edinburgh and Manchester. Adored for its simplicity by gentleman
amateurs, orchestrated by Geminiani and flamboyantly decorated by professional soloists (usually violinists), Corelli's music outlived its creator, dressed up or down according to taste
and ability.

Sunday Times/Stephen Pettitt 18.4.10
Steger's performance is a thrilling hybrid, dazzlingly embellished yet pure and true
of tone.

The English Concert match Steger's élan, with glorious solos from the ensemble.
Steger’s playing is unfailingly seductive; the English Concert under Cummings is equally
delectable.