As Jan de Winne comments, the golden age of the transverse flute was 1740–80—though it hadn't done badly for many decades before that, no small thanks to mechanical improvements and the influential encouragement of, amongst others, Frederick the Great and prince elector Karl Theodor in Mannheim, both of whom were flautists.

The two Stamitz (father and son) and Richter, all working in Mannheim, wrote enough flute concertos to keep someone busy for a long time, though none of them played the instrument. Hofmann, another non-flautist, had a successful career in Vienna during which he wrote at least a dozen flute concertos, none of which is the one on this recording; the Concerto in D is by Haydn (Hob VIIf/1) but was misattributed to Hofmann as early as 1773. Richter is the most conservative, with adhering traces of Baroque and a fondness for sequences that Burney deplored—albeit with a modicum of exaggeration; Johann Stamitz (father) shows the clearest signs of Sturm und Drang, but the emotional range through the programme is not wide; melodiousness, grace and clarity of form and texture are the order of its day.

Kuijken, using a copy of a Grenser flute of 1789, is as mellifluous, expressive and agile a solo-ist as one could wish for, excellently partnered by Guimond in the excerpt of Gluck, and Tafelmusik (also using period instruments or copies thereof) are suitably light of step and with no abrasive edge to their clear sound. A 'courtly' programme, regally recorded.

-- John Duarte, Gramophone [7/1993]