the Aesthetic Intersection: Handel's flute sonatas in interpretation of Jean-Pierre Rampal

Can a musical performance reveal a deeper dimension of time?In The Aesthetic Intersection, Roberto Barreca explores Handel's sonatas for flute and harpsichord through the celebrated 1965 recordings by Jean-Pierre Rampal and Robert Veyron-Lacroix, offering a philosophical and aesthetic reflection on one of the finest interpretations in the flute repertoire.The book develops a phenomenological approach to musical listening, examining the aesthetic experience as a privileged mode of access to questions concerning beauty, time, memory and artistic truth. Central to the discussion is the concept of the Aesthetic Intersection, according to which composer, performer and listener converge within a shared experiential present disclosed through the musical work.Drawing on philosophy, phenomenology, psychoanalysis and musicology, Barreca reflects on the relationship between musical interpretation and the aesthetic fact, arguing that the listener's lived experience constitutes an essential dimension of musical understanding. Handel's sonatas thus become the starting point for a broader investigation into the nature of artistic experience and the enduring significance of great musical performances.Written for readers interested in musical aesthetics, philosophy of music and the art of interpretation, The Aesthetic Intersection offers a thoughtful exploration of Jean-Pierre Rampal's art and of the profound aesthetic questions raised by his interpretation of Handel's sonatas.Roberto Barreca is a musician, philosopher, psychologist, and psychoanalyst.