Johan Helmich Roman goes down in the history books as Sweden's first internationally famed composer, but mostly it is his sonatas for solo instruments that get recorded. He wrote a set of unaccompanied violin sonatas that lie easily under the player's fingers, and the same is true of this group of 12 sonatas for flute and continuo, published in 1727. Roman's chief stylistic influence was
Handel, acknowledged in a direct quotation in the last movement of the entire set, and the motivic concision of the Allegro movements (try the Allegro second movement of the Flute Sonata No. 8 in A major, BERI 208, CD 2, track 6) owes a great deal to the German-English master. This is impressive enough in itself, for
Handel isn't an easy composer to imitate. But Roman also incorporates the emerging galant style, especially in the movements marked Larghetto, and its gentle shadings of light and dark into his music, and, when ornamentation is added (presumably transverse flutist
Verena Fischer has added a good deal, although the basic booklet notes don't discuss the issue), these sonatas would have been enough to display a virtuoso's talents. The performances by
Fischer, Baroque cellist
Klaus-Dieter Brandt, and harpsichordist
Léon Berben -- all students of the established stars of the historical performance movement -- are punchy, brisk, and technically confident, although the sound is a bit cavernous for such gently attractive, intimate music. The bottom line is that this is an enjoyable pair of discs of Baroque chamber music for specialist and general listener alike.