Händel: Sonatas for Recorder – Frode Thorsen

Händel´s recorder sonatas

Händel´s aptitude for melodic allure is markedly displayed in his sonatas for the recorder. On this album the trio Frode Thorsen (recorder), Hans Knut Sveen (harpsichord & organ) and Jane Odriozola (cello) performs seven of Händel´s sonatas. The sonatas are composed with great care, and it is believed that Händel used them in his compositions classes. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that these sonatas have an unusually independent basso continuo which more than once crosses the nebulous line between accompaniment and cembalo obligato.

Since his debut in 1984 Frode Thorsen has been an active soloist and chamber musician with a repertoire ranging from pre-renaissance/renaissance and baroque to contemporary music. He has made numerous recordings and has performed in concerts and radio/television productions. Hans Knut Sveen has been an active organist in Bergen, a soloist and accompanist at concerts in Scandinavia, Holland and Germany. Jane Odriozola has since 1989 been a member of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as being an active soloist and chamber musician with a large repertoire.