Harvest of a lifetime's work in music

The Belgian baroque flautist Barthold Kuijken, together with his brothers, violinist Sigiswald and gambist Wieland, is one of the founders of the early music revival in Europe. The first (and only) time I ever heard Barthold Kuijken live, I was floored by the elegance of his playing and the almost infinite spectrum of tone, dynamic and expression that he coaxed out of his instrument. This book was no less illuminating than Kuijken's playing. Based on the author's Doctor of Arts dissertation from the Free University of Brussels (2007), it brings together a lifetime's wisdom and considered reflection on the art of making music, and the necessity of taking seriously what we can know about musical practice in the past. Kuijken knows that we can never replicate past techniques and aesthetics perfectly, but insists that we should try. While the content of the book is very worthwhile, the narration is often painful. The narrator consistently mangles foreign words, even the name of the author. But don't let that put you off listening to this compact and stimulating work.

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