Les Violons du Roy, recorder soloist Maurice Steger light up Shriver Hall   2012-01-31 / The Baltimore Sun
I don't think of the typical Shriver Hall Concert Series crowd as very likely to do a lot of enthusiastic hooting and hollering over baroque music, but that was the reaction given Sunday evening to Les Violons du Roy. No wonder. read more
 
Maurice Steger, Violonc du Roy offer thrilling baroque playing at Rackham  2012-01-29 / Ann Arbor
For sheer virtuosity, and “I can’t believe I’m hearing this” pleasure, the final work of the evening, a transcription for recorder and orchestra, by Geminiani, of an Op. 5 Corelli violin sonata, topped the cake. Whipped cream, cherries on top, more notes per second than you’ve ever heard—it was not only tasty but tasteful. For sheer beauty, though, my vote would go to the Telemann Suite in a minor for Treble Recorder, strings and Basso Continuo, where Steger and his string colleagues partnered each other in glorious, ever-more-ornamented minuets, passepieds and polonaises. read more

Maurice Steger avec le Violons du Roy à Québec  2012-01-25 / Le Soleil
On ne peut s'imaginer tout ce qu'il est possible de tirer d'une flûte à bec, ni qu'on puisse élever la pratique de ce modeste instrument en art à part entière, avant d'avoir vu à l'oeuvre Maurice Steger, l'invité des Violons du Roy, mardi soir, au Palais Montcalm. Personne, il est permis de le croire, n'en joue avec autant de précision, de joie, d'humour, de style et de brio. lire plus

Maurice Steger et Les Violons du Roy à Montréal   2012-01-21 / Le Devoir
Ce qui frappe chez le musicien suisse, c'est sa capacité à réinventer la musique dans l'instant. Il donne véritablement l'impression de s'adonner à une comédie sonore. Le partenariat avec le chef et l'orchestre est donc essentiel et à ce petit jeu, Les Violons du Roy ont du répondant! lire plus

The Telegraph/Ivan Hewett's 5-star review/2011-04-06 Still, it has to be said that the star of this show was the snappily dressed, willowy figure of recorder player Maurice Steger. 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. The rapid passagework in Corelli’s F major Concerto emerges as a barely audible bird-like twittering, but Steger made it so crystal-clear that it pushed 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 movements, creating a luxuriant melancholy at each dying fall by leaning on the dissonant notes. Even grandeur isn’t beyond his reach, as was shown by a riveting performance of the Sarabande from Corelli’s 7th sonata. The unknown arranger added to the sense of unfolding majesty by bringing in more instruments (though I imagine director Laurence Cummings had a hand in this too), while over the top Steger floated a lovely line, fragile and droopingly expressive and dignified all at once. 

Neue Zürcher Zeitung/Jürg Huber/05-04-2011/ Feuilleton  Joie de vivre - baroque style
Maurice Steger at the Zurich Tonhalle
Contemporary sources tell the story of how London's nobility, who were known to have an interest in music, were seized with a certain "Corelli fever" in the first half of the 18th century. Even though the Italian composer never once set foot on the British Isles, his works were in high demand among both connoisseurs and professional performers. In particular, the 12 violin sonatas of his Opus 5 were used in a large number of variations with embellishments that sometimes bordered on absurdity.
In short, this body of work is the perfect fit for Maurice Steger, who is not afraid of the most difficult phrases or the fastest of tempos. The recorder player provided musical proof during his most recent appearance at Zurich's Tonhalle, performing his Corelli program together with the English Concert. One example is the Concerto in F major, op. 5 No. 10, which saw him play the Giga on the soprano recorder with stunning virtuosity. Effortlessly changing between registers, he alternates between chirping sounds in the high ranges and sonorous sustained notes. His playing remains impressively precise even at breakneck speed.
But Steger has more to offer than just brilliant technique, driving the movements rapidly forward. His unerring instinct for utilizing musical energy enables him to create suspense across longer passages, like the Ground upon the Sarabanda theme stretching over ten minutes, while the English Concert let the Continuo-part blossom in the brightest of colours. An integral part of Steger's performance is his close interaction with the ensemble, lead by the cembalist Laurence Cummings and providing inspired interpretations of Concerti grossi by various composers. Their musical collaboration sounds most beautiful when the soloist plays the treble or tenor recorder, as during the Adagio of the fourth concerto, when the English Concert weaved the tapestry for Steger's richly ornamented sounds, or during the eighth, when tenor recorder and organ met in an intense dialogue.    

cyberpresse.ca/Le Soleil/Josianne Desloges/2011-01-03 On New Year's Day the coups de coeur de nos critiques the press price of the best 10 performances was lent in Canada - and Maurice Steger has been awarded!

Le Devoir/Christophe Huss/2010-28-12 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.

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 (2010-11-01)
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.

Le Devoir/Christophe Huss, Montréal (2010-06-16)
read more (french)

Le Soleil/Jean-Philippe Côté-Angers, Québec (2010-06-15)
read more (french)

Independent on Sunday by Anna Picard (2010-04-11)
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.

Süddeutsche Zeitung/ Jörg Königsdorf /16.12.09
Today, Steger can be considered the recorder’s Horowitz and quite possibly the greatest virtuoso since
Arnold Dolmetsch reintroduced a modern version of the recorder to the public in the 1920s.

Neue Zürcher Zeitung/Jürg Huber/29.10.09 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, viola and double bass. Finally, the evening concluded with virtuosic bravura and Giuseppe Sammartini’s Concerto in F Major.

Aargauer Zeitung/Alfred Lins/7.9.09
The evening’s undisputed star was Maurice Steger, setting off musical fireworks with his recorder.
Hardly anyone in the audience could have experienced such virtuosity and perfection before.

Südkurier/7.9.09
Maurice Steger is one of the world’s leading recorder virtuosos and focuses on “early music”. He elicits
sounds from his instrument that sparkle with virtuosity one moment and gently caress the senses in the
next.

Musik & Theater/Walter Labhart/09.09
CD VENEZIA 1625: A captivating and vital chaconne by Merula, a cautious sinfonia with echoes of
Rossi and an additional sinfonia by Uccellini are all it takes to demonstrate just how imaginative the
Venetian composers of the “stile moderno” were. Like their work, these interpretations, virtuously led by
Maurice Steger, are radiant with colour.

Schweizerische Musikzeitung/Chrisfoph Greuter/Sept. 09 CD VENEZIA 1625: Steger’s colourful
performance bears witness to an inexhaustible interpretation. It’s easy to picture him, lost in music with
his instrument – which in this case is a very promising picture. (…) He is supported by a fantastic cast of
accompanying musicians, resulting in musical choreographies that are close to perfection.

Frankfurter Allgemeine/22.8.09 CD VENEZIA 1625: Steger’s performance is striking not only for its
effortless agility, but also for the precision of his intonation. Even in those slow numbers, drifting along in
wide chords like the opening of Fontana’s second sonata, there is no sign of the sloppiness typically
unavoidable in recorder performances. Instead, the instrument’s sensitive response to even the slightest
breath of air is always evident.

Tagesspiegel Berlin/Jörg Königsdorf/2.8.09 The most exciting recorder artist currently performing
classical music is in town as part of the “Schweizgenössisch”- Festivals, (…). With his “turbo sound”
Maurice Steger blows away any conventional ideas normally associated with the recorder --- and when
the slim Swiss leans back to send a brilliant passage into the venue’s air, it almost looks as if he is
playing an early baroque version of the saxophone. Steger's performances are electrifying --- his
Telemann, for example, recorded with the Berliner Akademie für Alte Musik, sounds so full of relish and
energy (including a strong vibrato) that recorder artists of older generations like Frans Brüggen or
Michala Petri look rather tame in comparison. Naturally, the virtuosic barrage flood of sounds unleashed
on his new CD “Venezia 1625” must be seen in concert.

Tages-Anzeiger/Susanne Kübler/19.5.09 This, too, is "Tino Flautino": a story to remind children what
their beginner’s instrument is capable of. It’s a lot, as demonstrated by Maurice Steger in the role of
Tino, highly virtuosic and expressive.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung/Eleonore Büning But then, almost like in a baroque opera, the diva
moves to the front of the stage and performs a lyrical passage in a wonderfully smooth legato. The skies
open and sweet round pearls rain down. It’s Mademoiselle Alto Recorder.
One of the best virtuosos currently playing this instrument, known as “flauto dolce” in the baroque period
for a reason and later needlessly relegated to pre-school use, is Maurice Steger. …

Revue musical/Chrisfoph Greuter
At the moment, 35-year-old Maurice Steger can be considered the
ultimate recorder artist. Originally from Bünd, but now living in Zurich, the Swiss seems to master all
technical or musical difficulties effortlessly. ... Unshakeable yet light-footed, Steger approaches the
music of the baroque masters with the renowned Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. ... Maurice Steger’s
ninth solo-production again sets the bar very high and shows him at the height of his musical powers. …

Toccata-Alte Musik Aktuell/Robert Strobel
... Maurice Steger is synonymous for highest perfection and artistry at the recorder. …

Le Monde de la Musique/Philippe Venturini
“Choc” du Monde de la Musique
... Maurice Steger amazes with his alto recorder: versatile articulation, clear intonation, homogenous in
all registers, with a dynamic range and never out of breath, an imagination that knows no boundaries, a
hymn to the timbre of his instrumental style --- a miracle of the performing arts. ...

Märkische Oderzeitung/Jörg Zimmermann
A master magician playing music: During the encore he
seems to become one with his instrument, to play Formula One with his recorder --- Maurice Steger
plays faster than fast. But that’s not the only thing he’s good at, as the Swiss virtuoso ably demonstrated
at the minster in Neuzell where he performed with the baroque orchestra “elbi’polis” from Hamburg on
Saturday. Vivaldi’s “La Notte” with its nightmarish ghosts was interpreted by Steger as a fleeting sound
sculpture extending into the open space of the church, an ingenious correspondence between the arts
of the late baroque period, architecture and music. The soloist-turned-wizard retained a transparent
sound, yet string and woodwind frequencies were melting together. It was almost spooky: At the
designated moments, Steger put the recorder down, listening to the dark echoing G minor, only to then
join the echo in a duet.
An acoustic dance with bad dreams, a masterpiece of sound psychology resonating in the church, a
dramatic highlight of the evening. …

Neue Zürcher Zeitung/Jürg Huber Magic bird... But then he suddenly appeared, "Il Gardellino", the
goldfinch, centre stage at the Tonhalle in Zurich. Bold and without a care in the world, he started to trill
and warble, knew how to woo, cheer and quaver. … The finest nuances of articulation and intonation
make Steger’s recorder playing such a joy, even in the slower parts. Though richly adorned, the
melodies never seem excessively decorated, as all flourishes are performed so airy and light.
Wonderfully dreamlike was the sound of Vivaldi’s Siciliana; while the slow set of Giuseppe Sammartini’s
Concerto in F for Recorder created deeply lyrical melodies. ...

Musikfestspiele Potsdam/Peter Buske... Wonderfully light, technically perfect to the last detail,
apparently never out of breath and with an irrepressible will to express himself, he turns every piece of
music into a fascinating highlight of sound and lives up to the Italian expression for the recorder, “flauto
dolce”. Alto and tenor recorder sound truly tender, soft, smooth and sweet as he introduces them to a
captivated audience. By contrast, the soprano version is brought out to produce shrill sounds that
almost make the listeners shiver. It seems as if he is gradually turning into a playful, bold and frolicking
faun, lost in music. … ...

“early music” Schwelm... Without a doubt, Maurice Steger is an artist at the extremes of the recorder’s
capabilities: committed like few others, he lets music come to life as an exciting and pulsating moment
by breaking open the corset of antecedent notation with sensuous and lively relevance. Proving that
music is more than the patient unfolding of the meaning found in the text, we see in Steger’s music this
self-evident matter in a new light: The spontaneous and imaginative approach of his playing is by no
means only ostensibly spectacular, no, the categorical will to create puts Steger in the tradition of
Harnoncourt…

Radio Magazin/Christian Berzins
With his intimate, colourful, technically brilliant and lively playing, Maurice Steger embodies the new definition of recorder artistry. His popularity even beyond his native Switzerland extends to levels normally reserved for other types of music. Maurice Steger is an uncompromising master and a great show talent with intellectual depth…

Musik & Theater/Reimar Wagner ... The star of the evening was Maurice Steger, because this young
and brilliant musician turns all the clichés on recorders on their heads. When you have listened to
Maurice Steger, experienced how he, exuberant and acrobatic in his role as Vivaldi’s quick-footed
goldfinch, threw the cascades from his flautino into the open space of the Tonhalle, how he turned an
adagio with perfect strokes into a rainbow, and made musical communication visible and audible with
subtle humour and sturdy wit… When you have seen the interaction between opus, ensemble and
soloist create musical theatre of the finest art… Such charismatic manners are usually reserved for pop
stars... His energetic Vivaldi or Telemann would not look out of place in the charts and the cascades
from his flautino certainly have the frequency it takes to reach through to ears dulled by techno sounds

Alte Musik aktuell.... There are artists who have everything and more: They perform in such a
disarming way that you feel you may witness a stroke of genius at any moment. Maurice Steger is such
an artist.