Suite No. 1 in D Major
Suite No. 2 in G Major
Suite No. 3 in E Minor
Suite No. 4 in G Minor
Suite No. 5 in D Minor

The music of French baroque flute virtuoso and composer Michel de la Barre (c. 1675-1745), if not groundbreaking or seminal, is certainly marked with a high degree of nobility, grace, and most of all refined expressiveness. Published in 1702, these are the earliest works for the baroque flute published in any country and were considered revolutionary in their context {Booklet notes}. A musician in high demand, Michel de la Barre played at the Académie Royale de Musique, and the courts of Louis XIV and XV.

Established just two years ago in 2020, The Opus Project, an ensemble based in Montreal, perform these rarely heard works with the same attention and care given well-known favorites, but with an added sense of discovery. Led by baroque flute master Joanna Marsden, their plan of action is to focus attention on works by individual composers rather than produce miscellany collections which seems to be the norm these days. Harpsichordist Christophe Gauthier, co-founder of this ensemble, has worked within well-established period groups such as the Arion baroque ensemble, and the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal. Luc Beauséjour and Benjamin Alard count amongst some of his teachers. If you're a baroque music enthusiast and collector, you more than likely remember viola da gamba player Margaret Little as the co-founder of Les Voix Humaines, an ensemble who has released critically acclaimed recordings since the 1980s. Rounding out the group is Daniel Zuluaga on theorbo, a specialist in Latin American Baroque music as well as an award winning musician.

Despite being well-established specialists in their individual fields, they work extremely well as an instrumental ensemble. With the flute being the central figure of these works, some artists and recordings would spotlight the instrument to the detriment of the others, but not in this case. The dynamic balance between all four is exemplary, as well as each one's expressive contribution and commitment. And the finely tuned audio recording captures and projects all the finer details.